Reviews in a nutshell
It’s compulsive viewing, like America’s Got Talent, not because anything groundbreaking is going to happen in the latest Step Up instalment, but because we’re secretly fascinated by how the choreographers will up their game in version 5, All In. There’s also that respect and awe we hold for such nubile young things without an ounce …
If incredibly imagination alone were the key to a successful film, then writer-director Michel Gondry’s L’écume des jours or Mood Indigo would be a guaranteed box-office smash. It’s like an animated delicacy that ignites the creative juices with every scene, beautifully crafted to help tell a delicate story of loss. However, as much as fans …
Once writer-director John Carney’s latest soul-searching drama set in New York initially sounds clichéd and egocentric, a sort of smug music set pandering to a trendy elite of snobbish music aficionados. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, and the soundtrack grows on you as the characters’ and their search for acceptance do. This …
“Odd” does not begin to describe this film from Babe: Pig in the City writer Mark Lamprell. It’s not he story, per se, which seems remotely tangible and will initially strike a chord with many a former-career-woman-cum-stay-at-home-mum. But just who it’s targeting exactly remains a mystery, as it seems to suggest us women can’t expect …
This is the kind of film that should come with a warning: not just “eat beforehand” but “writer-director vanity project alert”. If you’ve never fancied Jon Favreau films, this one isn’t setting out to change your mind either. Chef is easily consumable though, and Favreau does have another competitor to contend with in each scene …
Writer-director Jill Soloway does for Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road) what Paul Feig did for Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids, and given a very naturally funny lady a leading role – albeit, Wiig did co-write herself a part in the 2011 film. Hahn is a total triumph as bored, affluent Jewish housewife Rachel who has access to …
Writer-director Jonathan English got surprisingly lucky with the first Ironclad (2011) film, as it offered a thrilling/shocking blood thirst of video-gaming proportions, as well as an impressive cast, including Paul Giamatti, Brian Cox, Derek Jacobi, Charles Dance and the dashing James Purefoy. Still set in the harsh surroundings of 13th Century Britain, post the Great …
Terry Gilliam returns to his Brazil ideas in his latest film, The Zero Theorem, such as Big Brother watching/controlling, quirky romance and even quirkier surroundings that scream of escapism from the throng of daily life’s burden. All set in a future of some description – though hopefully, not one we have to look forward to, …
Director Wes Anderson’s mind is a fascinating one, managing to engage us with imaginative characters and locations that have a warm but barmy feel to them. The Grand Budapest Hotel is no exception, as theatrical and slightly obsessive as his others, but charmingly told. Ralph Fiennes has morphed into many characters over the years, and …
