From Bill Condon (director of Mr Holmes and Beauty and The Beast) comes The Good Liar, a dark crime thriller based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Searle. With an intriguing but weird story, this film walks dangerously close to mediocrity and is only saved by two fantastic performances.
From director Paul Feig and writer Emma Thompson comes a charming festive rom-com that the title sequence brags is “based on George Michael’s eponymous song”. With great performances but a cliché story, it’s a fun film that fails to fully give cheer to someone special.
After playing Dick Chaney in Vice, Christian Bale has now lost all that weight to star alongside Matt Damon in a film about racing. You’ve gotta love Bale for his diversity in choosing projects, but he clearly has a keen eye for greatness because this film, which sports some phenomenal racing sequences, is absolutely fantastic.
The press running up to the release of Joker has been plagued with two stories. One is critical acclaim from festivals and reviews alike, claiming it to be the greatest film of the year. The other story is the fear that the film actively promotes violence, anti-social behaviour, toxic masculinity and sympathises with the criminally … Continue reading A Dark, Daring and Disturbing Descent into Madness (Joker review)
In 2019’s answer to the endless popularity of Space Exploration films, ‘Ad Astra’ presents a poetic narrative that wouldn’t be out of place in ‘2001’. In Brad Pitt’s second film of the year, he voyages away from 1969 and into the near distant future to tell a story of hope, determination and fatherhood.
In the latest 2019 film based on some famous songs by a specific artist, 'Blinded by the Light' puts the struggles of 1980’s racial tension against a Bruce Springsteen soundtrack. The result is as disorientating as you’d expect, and while it delivers a sweetly uplifting story, it suffers from too many clichés and a lack of clear intention.
Though the title sets up a raisin fight (bad pun, not sorry), The Current War actually recounts the story of Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse’s battle to decide whose electrical system will power the next century. Despite some messy narrative issues, this film is thoroughly compelling and is aided by some fantastic performances.
Directed by Danny Boyle! Written by Richard Curtis! Featuring the music of The Beatles! These things coming together (not a Beatles pun) make the most British film that could possibly ever happen. Unfortunately, it confuses a fantastic premise with a dull rom-com plot, and the result is underwhelming.
The Toy Story Franchise was, and in my mind still is, the greatest and most perfect movie trilogy ever made. The story it told about childhood and growing up, all through the eyes of toys, was utterly masterful. While this latest film does not extend the trilogy into a perfect quadrilogy, it certainly acts as a thoroughly enjoyable epilogue.
Bo Burnham is, in the UK at least, a very underrated comedian, but his knowledge of timing, emotion and the balance between comedy and tragedy is stunning. His debut feature film 'Eighth Grade' is a stunning piece that beautifully depicts the social anxiety of an Eighth Grader (in the UK, a Year 9 student), and … Continue reading Essential viewing for Generation Z (Eighth Grade review)
Daniel Robinson: From Reel to Real 