REVIEW: Ruben Brandt: Collector (2018)
Milorad Krstić’s animated feature Ruben Brandt: Collector, released in 2018, is an imaginative marvel. A Hungarian production, it took a reported 10 years for Krstić to complete. It is striking in appearance, wonderfully playful in its execution, and immersed in a … Continue reading REVIEW: Ruben Brandt: Collector (2018)
REVIEW: Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
I can only think of one instance where this has happened before. In 2003 Morgan Creek Productions signed up Paul Schrader to write and direct a prequel to William Friedkin’s classic horror film The Exorcist. Schrader completed his film, but while … Continue reading REVIEW: Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
REVIEW: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
This week Zack Snyder’s four-hour director’s cut of Justice League comes out, and is already being anticipated in both positive and negative fashions. It ostensibly replaces the theatrical version that was supervised by writer/director Joss Whedon after a family tragedy … Continue reading REVIEW: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
REVIEW: Eighth Grade (2018)
School can be hell, as popular culture is keen to remind us, and perhaps it is never more hellish than when you are at that awkward age – not a child, not quite a teenager, and trapped for a year … Continue reading REVIEW: Eighth Grade (2018)
REVIEW: The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
The runaway success of Romancing the Stone led 20th Century Fox and producer/star Michael Douglas to move quickly on a sequel, and true to their intentions The Jewel of the Nile hit cinemas in the USA just 21 months after its predecessor. All it … Continue reading REVIEW: The Jewel of the Nile (1985)
REVIEW: Come True (2020)
Anyone who thinks the auteur theory is a myth likely have not reckoned with films like Come True, for which Anthony Scott Burns works as director, screenwriter, composer, cinematographer, and editor. It is a tremendous and singular effort in filmmaking, with … Continue reading REVIEW: Come True (2020)
REVIEW: 92 Legendary La Rose Noire (1992)
Nothing in global cinema is more culturally specific than comedy. I have written in the past about the Hong Kong comedy style known as ‘mo lei tau’, a sort of nonsensical and deliberately silly combination of wordplay, non-sequitur, and slapstick … Continue reading REVIEW: 92 Legendary La Rose Noire (1992)
REVIEW: The Owners (2020)
They can’t all be winners. Despite the presence of cult favourite Maisie Williams (Games of Thrones) and Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), Julius Berg’s home invasion thriller The Owners is less of a movie and more of a chore. With the plethora … Continue reading REVIEW: The Owners (2020)
REVIEW: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Challenging cinema creates its own challenges for the film reviewer. Lynne Ramsay’s 2011 feature We Need to Talk About Kevin is a strong character piece that showcases a powerful performance from Tilda Swinton. It focuses on powerful themes and opens up discussion … Continue reading REVIEW: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
REVIEW: Romancing the Stone (1984)
Romancing the Stone was a big deal back in 1984. It saw producer and star Michael Douglas try his hand at a broad action-adventure film, clearly riffing upon the success of the Indiana Jones films. It marked the commercial breakout of director Robert … Continue reading REVIEW: Romancing the Stone (1984)
