As a special effects, and animation, showpiece, it doesn't get better than Mad God. The end credit's proudly call it 'Phil Tippett's Mad God', and this is earned. Tippet is the special effects genius who worked on the stop motion in the original Star Wars trilogy, the effects for Temple of Doom (say what you … Continue reading Mad God (Review)
No Time to Die (Review)
As time pushes forward, the relevance of Bond is always questioned. These are films firmly rooted in the past, with a back catalogue full of dated moments but also old fashioned charm. The Craig era of Bond (as it now truly is an era) has been a process of answering that question, of trying to … Continue reading No Time to Die (Review)
Luca (Review)
A beautifully light tale from Pixar brings us back to a refreshing simplicity, but lacks the courage of its convictions. The animation is wonderful, the evocation of coastal Italy is sublime. It’s a summer vacation of a film, complete with an undercurrent of romance. Alas, this romance never comes to fruition. A promising queer story … Continue reading Luca (Review)
Old (Review)
The new divisive film from M. Night Shyamalan is divisive purely because it is an M. Night Shymalan movie. Few other filmmakers have the arguable gift to force viewers to find positives in their films, especially as evidence to the contrary keeps accruing. This film is very Shyamalan to the extent it could not come … Continue reading Old (Review)
Heard She Got Married (Review)
For a certain kind of person, a new Motern movie is a big event. This very independent outfit, in which a troupe of actors make low-budget movies, usually scrappy horror films that are actually goofy comedies, for the love of creating. At the heart of this is Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh (the director of … Continue reading Heard She Got Married (Review)
Prisoners of the Ghostland (Review)
As a feat of production design, Prisoners of the Ghostland is really impressive. The film has a really enticing aesthetic, think Japanese Mad Max but also Wild West iconography. This unique world of the film is supposed to be a multicultural blend, mirroring this being Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono's first primarily English language film. We … Continue reading Prisoners of the Ghostland (Review)
Candyman (2021) (Review)
A good horror movie gravitates around a strong central metaphor. With the original Candyman, the premise leads to a lot of wider symbolic opportunity: an evergreen centre that can be applied in multiple ways and in different contexts. Nia DaCosta's reboot, and semi-sequel, takes full advantage of this. In fact, it gets lost in taking … Continue reading Candyman (2021) (Review)
The Green Knight (Review)
A simple premise turns into a mercurial tale as myth envelops reality. Those who feel greatness within their reach forgo goodness entirely, striving to become the legend. Here, this morality tale is infused with surrealist flair to create a haunting vision. The pace is slow, a perfect match for a man's journey to a fated, … Continue reading The Green Knight (Review)
Nobody (Review)
This new entry in the John-Wick-as-a-genre canon is built upon a power fantasy, and general fantasy, that I have no interest in. This is a middle-aged dude impotence-film, in which an act of sensibility (not murdering the people who are so desperate that they take advantage of you leaving your garage door slightly open and … Continue reading Nobody (Review)
No Sudden Move (Review)
When watching Steven Soderbergh's latest, the first thing that stands out is how it is shot. The whole film has a distorted look. Things aberrate at the edges of the screen and there is an almost fish-eye effect; though, it's more like watching on an old non-flat screen TV. This is produced by period appropriate … Continue reading No Sudden Move (Review)
Assorted Opinions 