A mother and daughter rail against their growing poverty in this low-scale Spanish comedy-drama; the feature debut of Argentinian artist Amalia Ulman. It comes packed with outstanding moments of humour and character, but its black and white presentation and relatively … Continue reading SFF REVIEW: El Planeta (2021)
Con artist and habitual criminal Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) steps out of a five-year prison stay with the plan for her next heist already worked out in her head. With her cynical partner Lou (Cate Blanchett), she recruits a skilled … Continue reading REVIEW: Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Reiji Kikukawa (Toma Ikuta), Tokyo’s worst police officer, was rehired as an undercover mole sent to infiltrate Japan’s most powerful yakuza syndicate. Now accidentally installed near the very head of the clan, he is tasked with taking down the Dragon … Continue reading REVIEW: The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (2016)
1997 still seems a strange year for Hollywood. For much of the year there seemed to be a growing lesson for the American film industry. The summer was filled with costly misfires: Batman & Robin, The Postman, and particularly Jan de Bont’s disastrous Speed … Continue reading REVIEW: As Good As It Gets (1997)
Tang Sen (Bai Ke), the son of a recently deceased property developer, is commanded to travel to India to retrieve his father’s will. He is also told to take along with him Wu Kong (Wang Baoqiang), an orphaned martial artist … Continue reading REVIEW: Buddies in India (2017)
Plenty of films over the years have been sex comedies. With Progressive Touch the performance artist Michael Portnoy transforms the act of sex into a comedy. It is weird, but I am not entirely sure one can call it wonderful. What … Continue reading FANTASIA REVIEW: Progressive Touch (2020)
There is a long, rich history of musicians and pop stars expanding into feature films, and they range from simple concert recordings to elaborate arthouse dramas and from the sublimely powerful to the patently ridiculous. It’s arguably an under-appreciated form … Continue reading MIFF REVIEW: The Nowhere Inn (2020)
Algorithms dictate what social media does and does not show you, and what consumer goods are advertised at you. With enough data behind them they can predict what sort of car you want to drive, what you will study at … Continue reading FANTASIA REVIEW: Tiong Bahru Social Club (2020)
The process of grief is put through both a comedic and slightly surreal lens in Daigo Matsui’s new feature film, with mixed results. When Remain in Twilight hits the right note, it positively sings. When it fails, it fails tediously and hard. … Continue reading FANTASIA REVIEW: Remain in Twilight (2021)
Throw The Truman Show, The Lego Movie, and The Matrix into a blender and you are likely to wind up with something like Free Guy – a new feature starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy (A Night at the Museum). Guy (Reynolds) is … Continue reading REVIEW: Free Guy (2021)
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