Reviews in a nutshell
An hour-and-a-half film about a man cutting his arm off to save his own life sounds like an intriguing concept alone. Coupled with the fact that said film is none other than the latest in Oscar-winner Danny Boyle’s (Slumdog Millionaire) arsenal and stars Golden Globe winner James Franco (Milk) should raise interest and awareness further. …
It seems that once having seen images of war first-hand, it’s impossible to lead a ‘normal’ existence on Civvy Street. This is certainly the case from personal experience, and writer/director Brian Welsh’s second feature, In Our Name, would have you believe this, too. In fact, as the media is quick to remind us, it appears …
It’s silly season again, and the thought of yet another Santa movie thrills some and has others gnawing the furniture in despair. But writer/director Jalmari Helander’s alternative Christmas tale, Rare Exports, is one you’ll not forget in a hurry, based on two short films. It’s designed to challenge the schmaltzy, commercialised holiday season head on, …
American artist-turned film-maker Julian Schnabel’s latest film, Miral, is on a far grander scale than the intimate The Diving Bell and the Butterfly about a stroke sufferer, dealing with the political hot bed of peace in the Middle East. Jewish American Schnabel takes the Palestinian stance on this, in an almost pious and worthy fashion …
This sombre, humane and provocative drama from Xavier Beauvois (Don’t Forget You’re Going To Die) is based on a true story from the 1990s. Eight French monks live in harmony in a Cistercian monastery in North Africa, providing medical, practical and spiritual help to the local community. But fundamentalist violence threatens not only the country …
Don’t be fooled by the action sequences they squeeze out of the film for the trailer to try marketing this as an action-based crime thriller: it’s no Bourne. It is a part-foreign-language drama set in foreign lands – making it perfect London Film Festival fodder – that cleverly manages to straddle both art-house and mainstream …
It’s very easy to become a film snob about any US remake of a recent and internationally acclaimed foreign-language film. But if the material it’s based on is of a high calibre, then the film-makers are already off to a flying start. Such is the case with Cloverfield director Matt Reeves’s take on Ajvide Lindqvist’s …
Scottish Actor/writer/director Peter Mullan (The Magdalene Sisters, Orphans) may well have struck gold with his first internationally marketable feature, Neds – even though its broad Glaswegian dialect takes some getting used to, and resulted in subtitles at its world premiere in Toronto. What Mullan gets right every time that translates, regardless of language, is his …
If film-making is about capturing truth and reality, however uncomfortable to watch, then Mike Leigh is the master. His improvisation method results in the most sincere and heart-felt performances on screen and his latest film, Another Year, is no exception. It’s another triumphant Leigh study of relationships, family and loneliness, filled with laughter and sadness …
