A promising foundation and strong performances suggest a great independent film in A Brixton Tale, but subsequent developments wind up making this London-set drama wobble on its axis a little. It is a deep shame, because all of the ingredients for … Continue reading REVIEW: A Brixton Tale (2021)
In order to succeed, good documentaries need to tell interesting stories. Steelers: The World’s First Gay Rugby Club, a 2020 documentary directed by journalist Eammon Ashton-Atkinson, certainly lands on something of note: London’s Kings Cross Steelers, and their quest to … Continue reading REVIEW: Steelers (2020)
Neil Marshall is one of the UK’s most valuable genre filmmakers, having made his directorial debut in 2002’s Dog Soldiers and then his reputation with 2005’s exceptional horror film The Descent. Subsequent films like Doomsday (2008) and Centurion (2010), while perhaps not as groundbreaking or effective, have … Continue reading REVIEW: The Reckoning (2020)
By 1967 the lucrative James Bond movie franchise was hitting its fifth instalment in the space of six years. The preceding film, Thunderball (1965), had been a record-breaking success, and expectations were high for Bond’s next adventure to top it all over … Continue reading REVIEW: You Only Live Twice (1967)
Properly-made family entertainment is just about the hardest thing to get right in filmmaking, and yet for all of the effort placed into the best examples it is exceedingly rare for such a film to be a hit. Children are … Continue reading REVIEW: The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)
Sean Connery returns to play British super-spy James Bond for the fourth time in 1965’s Thunderball; a global smash hit in which the Bond franchise formula arguably solidified for the first time. It may not be the best of Connery’s Bond … Continue reading REVIEW: Thunderball (1965)
Noel Coward remains one of the 20th century’s most acclaimed playwrights, even if his light comedies have by-and-large fallen out of popular favour. His 1941 play Blithe Spirit is probably his most famous work, and was adapted into a film by director … Continue reading REVIEW: Blithe Spirit (2020)
Be careful what you wish for, I guess. 1999’s The World is not Enough was a James Bond film that seemed oddly unenthused and lazy, relying on old franchise traditions without any real sense of spark or effort. The next Bond feature, … Continue reading REVIEW: Die Another Day (2002)
1999 saw the release of Pierce Brosnan’s third film as British secret agent James Bond – and the 19th film in the franchise overall. The World is not Enough captures the EON production team at a high point of comfort: GoldenEye (1995) brought … Continue reading REVIEW: The World is not Enough (1999)
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)
