Reviews in a nutshell
Although the latest Coen Brothers’ film, Inside Llewyn Davis, follows a tired-out character in the misfortunate Llewyn the musician, superbly played by actor-singer Oscar Isaac, the sumptuous-looking film is as fresh and Coen cool as any before. Mostly notably, it becomes one of the filmmakers’ most memorable with its musical renditions that pause the protagonist’s …
British artist turned director Steve McQueen (Shame) has crafted another beautiful-looking and moving film in 12 Years A Slave that has equally emotive subject matter. Naturally, a story dealing with slavery provokes revulsion, and here, is where reviewing such a film needs a separation of personal sentiments from actual empowering film-making. Indeed, the film feels …
A film without dialogue is unusual in this day and age. A survival film with an older protagonist is even more so. JC Chandor’s ocean drama, All Is Lost is so simple in its execution that is offers its 77-year-old star Robert Redford a blank canvas to show off his exceptional acting talents at this …
Descendants director Alexander Payne has created such a powerhouse of a film in Nebraska that focuses the attention fully on the trials and tribulations of one family teetering on the brink of collapse, exquisitely shot in black-and-white. This intriguing monotone choice highlights the despair and humdrum at the start, but curiously sharpens the senses along …
You don’t have to know anything about poet Allen Ginsberg to appreciate the rocky path to notoriety Kill Your Darlings portrays, and this is more ‘murder-he-wrote’ in a crime caper way, with the culprit already known. What is acknowledged is how Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe is forever recreating himself from the child role he will …
French Screenwriter-director François Ozon returns to BFI LFF 2013 with another coming-of-age film, this time with subjective comedic value. Palme d’Or nominated Jeune et Jolie is one of sexual discovery of a young seventeen-year-old girl, Isabelle (Marine Vacth), who deals with her newfound womanhood in a rather extreme fashion. This is perhaps no surprise to …
Mary Poppins is a seasonal classic, and The Blindside director John Lee Hancock’s ode to her creator, Saving Mr Banks, the closing film of BFI LFF 2013, is likely to evoke the same euphoric highs. It hits all the right notes in an utterly charming, funny and well-meaning manner; part in thanks to the great …
Writer-director Peter Landesman’s Parkland gives another relatively new angle on tragic events following the death of US President John F Kennedy on 22nd November 1963 in Dallas, Texas, offering the hospital portrayal at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. It’s a solid piece of drama set to provoke the same disbelief from those who remember on the day …
The promise of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney battling to stay alive in Space, within a 2001: A Space Odyssey context is a great pull, as much as Gravity itself. The added buzz is the film is Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón’s creation. All good so far. However, Space alone is mesmerising to watch …
