Every inch of C'mon C'mon wishes to be universal and transcendent. It's in the intrusive musicality, it's in the black and white photography, it's in the frequent cutaways to serious interviews with children about weighty topics, it's in the conversations (every conversation) which dance around issues and invoke large themes. For so many, this has … Continue reading C’mon C’mon (Review)
Tag: 2021
Benedetta (Review)
I'm glad that cinemas showing Benedetta are already being protested outside of. It is wonderful that Paul Verhoeven, who has made some of my favourite films, can still make a film that causes such a visceral reaction. Alas, it would be much more satisfying if Verhoeven had made a film that justified getting even slightly … Continue reading Benedetta (Review)
Last Night in Soho (Review)
Glamorous facades hide horrible truths. This is the central, and repeated thrust, of Last Night in Soho: a film about a first year fashion student (Eloise, played by Thomasin McKenzie) who comes to London with a head full of '60s aesthetics (and a pull to the past), before getting too much of what she wished … Continue reading Last Night in Soho (Review)
Spencer (Review)
From the very start, Pablo Larraín's Princess Diana movie steps outside of the realm of biopic. An opening statement tells us the film is a fable, one based on a true tragedy (its words), but a fable none the less. This lets the viewer know that we are entering the realm of the symbolic, a … Continue reading Spencer (Review)
Titane (Review)
I distinctly remember being stunned by the trailer for Julia Ducournau's Titane. It was hardly surprising, really, her debut feature, Raw, is one of my all-time favourite films. My prevailing feeling from Titane's trailer was one of wonder: how could this staggering barrage of imagery all fit into one film? Unfortunately, this reaction turned out … Continue reading Titane (Review)
Dune (Review)
Let's get this out of the way first: Denis Villeneuve's Dune is actually Dune Part One. This is the first chapter in a story that is reliant on a conclusion, a fact that makes this film more difficult to independently evaluate. As a teaser for later Dune, this film is a huge success. I left … Continue reading Dune (Review)
Halloween Kills (Review)
Michael Myers is back again, again... Again. It's the premise that launched countless Halloween sequels, you know that guy we defeated in the last movie, well, what if it turned out we didn't? So, The Shape, The Boogeyman, evil incarnate, the occasional brother to Laurie Strode and sometimes subject of the Thorn Rune (bring back … Continue reading Halloween Kills (Review)
Mad God (Review)
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)
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)
Assorted Opinions 