Reviews in a nutshell
If coming-of-age, indie-styled films of late will have us believe, every white, privileged school kid is a volatile mass of unresolved angst and superior intellect, waiting to explode on an uncaring, uncompromising world around them. Debut feature writer-director Gavin Wiesen has joined the ‘cool kids’ gang of film-makers, championing the secretly chic and misunderstood nerds …
If the title doesn’t get you first, the promise of ‘a comedy set in a brothel’ ought to. Think ‘Scottish Four Lions’ for deadpan underdog calamities, and you get the idea. Writer-director Wayne Thallon’s 2011 Edinburgh Film Festival closer, A Spanking In Paradise, is a spankin’, swind screamer of pure shant lunacy, right from the …
The thought of another dance with Death – and in 3D – fills anyone tiring of the accident-obsessed franchise with dread. But Steven Quale’s addition to the grizzly iconic series, Final Destination 5 (3D), should not be dismissed so easily, and begins with a glass-smashing, gore-dripping, pole-flying 3D title extravaganza that makes you sit up …
In the film’s production notes, Danish director Susanne Bier of this year’s Oscar and Golden Globe-winning foreign-language film, In A Better World, has some stark words, which with the current unrest in the UK, bring even more poignancy to her new theatrical release: “Are we immune to chaos, or obliviously teetering on the verge of …
Bond teams up with Indie for the first in its kind: a sci-fi western – and it’s a great concept, full of untapped imagination. The 1999 action comedy adventure Wild, Wild West brought inventions into the western sphere, but this goes that step further. Add some aliens to kick the proverbial butt out of, and …
This year has seen its fair share of fantasy blockbusters, each with their own ‘must-see’ reasons. But none quite have the sentimental and chilling impact of director Rupert Wyatt’s interpretation of Pierre Boulle’s 1963 sci-fi fantasy novel, La planete des singes, and how it all came about that apes rule the earth. Rise of the …
After the hit 2006 comedy Priceless, writer/director Pierre Salvadori joins forces again with internationally acclaimed actress Audrey Tautou for another situational romantic comedy, Beautiful Lies (De vrais mensonges), looking at how misinterpretation and unfrequented love can bring a bittersweet but charming dose of humour. Tautou plays 30-year-old Emilie, owner of a hairdressing salon who employs …
The protagonist in writer/director and star Gianni Di Gregorio’s poignant new Italian drama, The Salt of Life (Gianni e le donne), may well be in his autumn years and settling down to retirement, but the message is the same for all who catch this touching tale: embrace life and all its opportunities. Gianni (played Di …
Actor Dominic Cooper is best known as the singing and dancing love interest in Mamma Mia, and will be popping up now on people’s radar as Marvel’s scientist Howard Stark in Captain America. But it will be his totally absorbing and alluring dual performance as one of the House of Saddam’s most evil members and …
