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)
A slightly odd confluence of factors make Martin Campbell’s The Foreigner a splendid action thriller. The picture reunites James Bond veterans Campbell and Pierce Brosnan, but then throws in a healthy dose of the Northern Irish troubles and a top-of-his-game Jackie Chan … Continue reading REVIEW: The Foreigner (2017)
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)
By 1964 Hammer Film Productions had transformed itself from one of many generalised British film studios into a popular maker of melodramatic gothic horror films and thrillers. After The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958), and The Mummy (1959) all proved successful, a constant hunt was … Continue reading REVIEW: The Gorgon (1964)
I am not sure what I was expecting from Saint Maud, writer/director Rose Glass’ widely acclaimed psychological horror film. All I can be certain of is that I was surprised at what I saw, and at the same time rather … Continue reading REVIEW: Saint Maud (2019)
Writer/director Ruth Platt’s third feature Martyr’s Lane is a superb piece of work, with a great handle on both tone and atmosphere. While it does have its faults and imperfections, it is a satisfying addition to the ranks of cinematic ghost stories … Continue reading REVIEW: Martyr’s Lane (2021)
Can we still get away with describing a film as ‘jolly’? Without a Clue, which is a comedic riff on the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, certainly feels rather quaint and dated today, but in all honesty it felt … Continue reading REVIEW: Without a Clue (1988)
Bernard Rose’s 1994 biographical film Immortal Beloved, about Austrian composer Ludwig van Beethoven, is packed with fanciful conspiracy theories and untruths. Despite this, it is so powerfully dominated by Gary Oldman’s superb and fiery lead performance that it is difficult … Continue reading REVIEW: Immortal Beloved (1994)
There is a generally held convention that Hammer, the famous British production house behind a string of gothic horror movies, peaked in the 1950s and 1960s before declining in the 1970s. While this is certainly true of the company’s commercial … Continue reading REVIEW: Hands of the Ripper (1971)
How many times can audiences tolerate another rock biopic? They are cut from as formulaic a cloth as popular cinema can provide: the humble beginnings, the prodigy talent, the rise to fame, and the crash spurred on by drugs and … Continue reading REVIEW: Rocketman (2019)
FictionMachine 