Film

You know the best way to open a high profile erotic thriller? Child abuse. Grainy black-and-white footage of a child about to be beaten in a dilapidated crack house. You’re getting flustered just reading that, ain’t ya? Fifty Shades Darker ...

Festival darlings can be a mixed bunch. Although festivals often give a platform for more niche and auteur films, the swinging attitude of booze and schmoozing with the stars can see lacklustre films heaped with accolades they do not deserve. ...

What a nice and refreshing change from the usual superhero fare. I am not simply referring to the novelty of having a world made out of plastic bricks (though that remains fun) but rather The LEGO Batman Movie has a ...

The logistics of film distribution mean it can take a lot of time and effort to seek out minor releases. I am getting to The Eagle Huntress a month or two after its initial release but, in the UK at ...

The unwanted sequel is a scourge upon our culture. We’re treated to washed-out rehashes of beloved originals that, at best, try our patience and, at worst, diminish the legacy of the original. It’s endemic of an industry chasing a dollar ...

Ahead of the alternately anticipated or dreaded live-action version, this week saw the re-release in cinemas of Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell. The film is a landmark in world and animated cinema, spawning a host of imitators and is, ...

Talk about laying it on thick, Mel. I know you aren’t a director renowned for restraint or subtlety but even you must have baulked to behold this blunt monstrosity. I’m frankly relieved that you managed to flub Hacksaw Ridge. Now ...

The BBFC rating before the film noted simply ‘brief strong violence’. That answered my biggest query about Jackie before I went in. Given the notorious incident on which the film hinges, the inclusion of a graphic depiction raises issues of ...

Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity is a recognized noir classic, preserved by the National Film Registry for being deemed ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’. Perhaps you will focus on the venetian blind lighting style that became a staple of the noir ...

My expectations for Manchester by the Sea were quite low. Judging by its lacklustre posters, one could see Casey Afflck and Michelle Williams looking wistfully into the middle distance, their brows subtly furrowed in such a way as to suggest ...