One of my favourite films of the year has crept up via Amazon Prime, defied my expectations, and thoroughly charmed me to bits. Based on a Karen Cushman novel, Catherine Called Birdy is a light, knowing comedy about a teenage girl resisting … Continue reading REVIEW: Catherine Called Birdy (2022)
An uneven as it is amiable, new romantic comedy Rosaline tries to turn William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on its head with a story about Romeo Montague’s mentioned, but never seen, girlfriend immediately prior to the events of the play. Director … Continue reading REVIEW: Rosaline (2022)
“Just Jen” I remarked recently that She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law, Marvel’s latest Disney+ series, seemed to get better the less it had to do with the rest of the MCU. This sixth episode, “Just Jen”, proves beyond a shadow of a doubt … Continue reading TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.06
There are many good films released around the world every year. Masterpiece celebrates the best of the very best: genuinely superb works of cinema that come with FictionMachine‘s very highest recommendation. If we had our own Criterion Collection, these are the films we … Continue reading MASTERPIECE: Shallow Grave (1994)
The original Hocus Pocus was a modest 1993 hit for Disney, one that demonstrated much stronger legs on cable television than in theatres. Its Halloween setting, combined with a canny blend of family comedy and child-appropriate horror, made it something of an … Continue reading REVIEW: Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
“Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans” It seems an obvious thing to write, but the further that She-Hulk moves away from other elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the more enjoyable it becomes. This fifth episode largely does … Continue reading TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.05
See How They Run seems unlikely to win the widespread acclaim of fellow Agatha Christie pastiche Knives Out (2019), but it is still a bright and amusing confection. A little more predictable perhaps, as it signposts its narrative fairly obviously, but when it … Continue reading REVIEW: See How They Run (2022)
If you have run out of absurd comedic crime thrillers directed by Guy Ritchie, then British film director Barnaby Thompson has the perfect movie for you. An appealing cast gives Pixie an entertaining polish, but there is no hiding that this Northern … Continue reading REVIEW: Pixie (2020)
“Is This Not Real Magic?” Comedy is a very subjective genre, and what works for one viewer is not necessarily going to work for another. There has been a bit of a social media frenzy in the past few days … Continue reading TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.04
“The People vs Emil Blonsky” At the three episode mark you would expect that a new series would have found its tone and rhythm, and that certainly seems to be the case with She–Hulk: Attorney–at–Law. If anything the show most … Continue reading TV REVIEW: She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law 1.03
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