The world’s biggest rock star, Marianne Lane, has lost her voice and is recovering on a sun-kissed Italian island with her lover, Paul. Restive paradise is shattered, however, by the arrival of her boisterous producer, and former lover, Harry. Bubbling ...
Read More »Rams
Where to begin? The totality of human existence. A harsh life in the unremitting cold. The binds of family. Bitter feuds and recrimination. Moments of abject violence. No, I am not talking about The Revenant. This is Rams. It’s a ...
Read More »Trumbo: What the imagination can’t conjure, reality delivers with a shrug
I find myself more and more disappointed with the standards of film advertising. If I have to be exposed to minute upon minute of trailers prior to ever feature, they could at least give me a fair idea of what ...
Read More »Pride and Prejudice and Zombies… and heaving bosoms
I can’t imagine anyone had any expectations that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies would be anything other than supremely stupid. These expectations were not unfounded. It is, indeed, of the highest order of stupidity. Unfortunately, it completely misses the mark ...
Read More »Deadpool: With great power comes great irresponsibility
Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) is an odd character to have his own film. He’s on the outskirts of the main Marvel universe and rarely read by the casual comics fan. His antics and foul mouth might appeal to the ...
Read More »The Big Short: We live in an era of fraud in America
Here’s something of an irony. The Big Short is a film about how a large structure comes crashing down because its constituent parts turn out to be worthless. The Big Short is also a film in which the structure succeeds ...
Read More »Dad’s Army: A thoroughly forgettable remake
Other than seeing the odd episode on TV, my working knowledge of the cult classic series that ran for 9 seasons from 1968 to 1977 is very limited. My impression of it was fun, silly, with a bit of that ...
Read More »Spotlight: They knew and they let it happen
Spotlight is another of the major awards contenders this year, having won acclamation from critic organisations and festivals around the globe. It is one of the more conventional outings in the already formally conservative Best Picture category, but I am ...
Read More »Why pseudo-documentaries continue to appeal
I wanted to capture the… the sights, the sounds… the smells of a hard-working rock band, on the road. What is more interesting than the bizarre stories that grace our television news programs? I remember loving the song ‘Horror Movie’ ...
Read More »Youth: Levity is an irresistible temptation
The hotel narrative is quite a staple at this point. Amongst the serene isolation of a hotel spa, a disparate group of characters will come to some existential revelations, with no doubt some quirky antics along the way. There are ...
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