Good coming of age film – surprised it’s not better known. Check out a young Dennis Quaid and Daniel “voice of The Wonder Years” Stern. It’s even better when watched outdoor on a screen powered by cyclists! 7/10
Category: Screen
Made before life for Woody got even more uncomfortable – but hardcore fans will enjoy. 8/10
Wes “Whimsy” Anderson keeps the story going strongly here helped by great leads. Tilda Swinton less so. 8/10
One of my all-time favourites. Nicholson is absolutely outstanding – anyone who knows him only from his later films should watch this (or many other films from early in his career) to see why he’s so fêted). It’s such an unlikely plot for a gripping film, which makes it even better. 10/10
How can you not love this film? Great reboot (even under Disney) for our furry friends. Maybe a bit saccharine for some, but even this ol’ cynic enjoyed it greatly. Maybe you have to be an original muppet fan. 8/10
Pleasant, but not worth a cinema ticket. Worth sticking with though. 6/10
Think I enjoyed it at the time, but forgettable some time later. 5/10
Stunning performance from Di Caprio (oddly not even Oscar nominated) in insightful and surprisingly pacy biopic of the former director of the FBI directed by Clint Eastwood. 8/10
Very hyped, but totally delivers. Definitely a cinema film. I held off going to see this for a while, because I was sure I’d be disappointed. I was not. Even the poster is beautiful. 10/10
I know we’re all supposed to be down on this film now, but it’s still a classic. You can make your own mind up about divorcing the artist from his art (though Allen doesn’t make that easy when the art is all about the artist). And this was before so many of Woody’s films copied… Read More
Tom Cruise runs… and we all know what that looks like. To be fair, the Dubai tower scaling scene is impressive. It’s not the worst M:i film *cough* number two *cough*, but nor is it the best. 6/10
Easy-to-watch film about statistics and baseball. But with Brad Pitt. You with me? I liked it, but it may help if you’ve read the book or know the story, or indeed know anything about baseball. It’s a shame the film didn’t really get much into Billy Bean’s backstory, because that’s one of the strengths of… Read More
Stylish but baffling, especially if you’ve not read the book. Not the best Le Carré adaptation despite the all-star cast. 7/10
Drive is an exceedingly stylish film that startles you out of an appreciative smile with several shockingly violent scenes. I don’t think I’m squeamish, but there was one sequence I couldn’t watch. Ryan Gosling plays the Driver – an American movie hero in the footsteps of many a Clint Eastwood character. Carey Mulligan plays the… Read More
Entertaining 1973 comedy with Glenda turning in an Oscar-winning performance. 8/10
Part Jason Bourne, part Nikita and part Brothers Grimm, this is a brave attempt to marry action flick with arthouse. It’s not entirely successful although there are some good sequences and Cate Blanchett is deliciously evil. 5/10
When the director introduces a film as requiring patience, and the opening few shots quite literally have you counting sheep it doesn’t necessarily suggest an entertaining afternoon ahead. Fear not, Sweetgrass is a documentary set in Montana that manages to be virtually narrative-free and yet oddly compelling. It won’t be everyone’s thing, but if you… Read More
An action film Groundhog Day with a clever premise that just about works. 7/10
Nicely paced film from director Tanya Hamilton set in mid 1970s Philadelphia against the backdrop of the black power movement and the Black Panthers. Strong performances from the leads, but there’s a detachment to the characters that means you don’t quite invest or root for them as you might. 6/10
Everyone’s been raving about this film. I don’t plan to buck the trend. The acting – especially Firth – is superb, and the direction excellent. If I was to quibble, I thought the screenplay was a little clunky at times. It has Oscars written all over it. 9/10