FIlm Review
Film Review – Kingsman: The Secret Service
It’s funny when you see a film poster and you get heartsink. Colin Firth looking slightly Bond-esque framed by a woman’s open legs just doesn’t do it for me. Good job I didn’t let it put me off too much. Harry Hart (Colin Firth) is an old fashioned spy from an underground network fronted by …
Film Review: A Most Violent Year
After struggling to get a real foothold in Hollywood, Oscar Isaac finally seems to be receiving the recognition his talent deserves. His first big leading role was in the Coen Brothers’ Oscar-nominated Inside Llewyn Davis. Isaac’ss got two films out this week which showcase other facets of his talent. Whilst quietly impressive in Ex-Machina, it’s …
Film Review: Ex Machina
‘Dues Ex Machina’. Translation: God from the machine. A term which can be traced back to ancient Greek tragedy, where gods would often appear. It is more commonly used these days for us snotty critics to complain about contrived endings, such as the belated arrival of the gigantic eagles in Lord of The Rings, begging …
DVD Review: The Circle
The time proceeding and during the Second World War was a particularly difficult period in history to be gay. With the rise of Nazi Germany and historical prejudices, homosexuality was illegal in much of Western Europe. Switzerland seemed like a safe haven in an increasingly dark world, where people could, to a certain extent, be …
Film Review: Wild
Reese Witherspoon de-glamorized, a Nick Hornby screenplay and a 1000 mile walk in the wilderness? Sounds interesting…. Based on the true account of Cheryl Strayed’s trek through the American wilderness via the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild tells the story of a woman’s hike to find a better version of herself. After several years of trauma …
Film Review: The Last of the Unjust
In 1985 French director Clauda Lanzmann released Shoah, an epic 570 minute documentary about the Holocaust. Considered to be the definitive film about one of the lowest moments in human history, Shoah has been critically lauded as a staggering cinematic achievement. Lanzmann’s primary uses interviews and visits Holocaust sites across Poland, presenting testimonies from survivors, …
Film Review: National Gallery
London is full of august institutions which, whilst loved by tourists and locals alike, very rarely allow anyone to delve below their public fascade. Frederick Wiseman has made his name making (often) long documentaries capturing the essence of a range of subjects. With titles such as Deaf, Zoo, Meat and Domestic Violence 2, the octogenarian …
Film Review: Birdman
Directors of Photography often don’t get the credit they deserve, but the role is often pivotal to the success of a film. Emmanuel Lubezki has an impressive CV. The Mexican cinematographer already has credits notched up for Gravity, To The Wonder, Tree of Life and Burn After Reading. His fellow countryman, Alejandro González Iñárritu, also …
Film Review: Big Eyes
Tim Burton made his name as a director through the fantastical and the bizarre. Your probably first came across his work with Beetlejuice (with an undoubtedly terrible sequel to follow), Edward Scissorhands, Batman or Mars Attacks! Or it could even have been his best film, Ed Wood. In Big Eyes he takes a true story …
Film Review – Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Who doesn’t like a museum that comes to life at night? I know I do! If only they did… Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and friends are back in the third installment of the Night at the Museum series, but all is not well in New York’s Museum of Natural History. The exhibits are noticing they …