Reviews in a nutshell
Cinematic portrayals of the trials and tribulations of a more mature love saga usually go hand in hand with an obvious comedic sentiment that forgives any flaws or misdemeanours in the actions of the older protagonist. In 1989’s Shirley Valentine, say, the middle-aged heroine played by Pauline Collins was mocked for having a mid-life crisis, …
The dilemma facing two sets of parents in Japanese writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest taut drama, Like Father, Like Son (Jury Prize winner at Cannes 2013), is the stuff of nightmares for any family: What if your child was not your biological child, and you knew where your real flesh and blood was – would you …
Watching this film pains you to think just how pivotal this role could have been for the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini, who although was a larger-than-life character in the TV Mafioso series, was only just getting a foothold in big-screen leading roles. In the past, he’s played an alcoholic hitman (Killing Them Softly), a …
A fitting film to open this year’s BFI London Film Festival, Captain Phillips holds one of Tom Hanks’s finest and most raw performances to date. Coupled with Green Zone and United 93 director Paul Greengrass’s snappy direction and multitude of camera angles to capture every moment and reaction, the pace never eases and the intensity …
