Reviews in a nutshell
Waltz With Bashir animator Ari Folman takes on the advancing techno nature of the Hollywood film industry in his hybrid (live action/animation), political sci-fi The Congress. It’s hard to distinguish whether the film itself or the myriad of ideas it boldly flags deserve the true credit. Debate aside, Folman uses animation to illustrate the ‘death …
If you think you’ve got/had it rough you haven’t experienced God’s Pocket. Mind you, don’t let any of the locals hear you snigger because only they are qualified the kick their crumby situation and location. This is a story directed by Mad Men’s John Slattery, based on a novel by Peter Dexter about a working-class …
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 …
Gone is the usual 24-hour period that most of his films are set in, as filmmaker Richard Linklater achieves his finest work yet with Boyhood, a deeply affecting chronicle of one boy’s life, filmed over a decade using the same actor. It will naturally resonate most with parents who are changing nappies one minute to …
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 …
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 …
Novelist Patricia Highsmith gave us the murderer Tom Ripley, introduced to film buffs in the acclaimed 1999 film The Talented Mr Ripley, a charming psychopath played by Matt Damon. Now our curiosity is further pricked some 15 years later with the promise of another big-screen-adapted period psychological thriller set on some sunny Mediterranean shores, The …
The sequel to Marc Webb’s 2012 reboot was always going to be bigger, punchier and more stuffed with effects to satisfy the crowd. Thankfully, even though these qualities are abundant – in a bid to not lose out to Marvel’s Avengers, some might say – the second 3D film in the series does not forget …
