Reviews 1040 results

British Film Festival – Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis Movie Review

They created one of the world’s most visible graphic designs with their album cover for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Their story is a fascinating one and it parallels the history of some megalithic bands from back in the sixties and seventies.   //     Fans of artists such as the above-mentioned Floyd, Peter Gabriel, The Nice, 10cc and Led Zeppelin will find much fascination with the views of various talking ...

The Marvels Movie Review

Incorporating moments of hand-drawn animation and teen angst alongside contemporary family dynamics sets the film firmly in the current day. Basing almost all the action around the three main female characters, Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan is also a welcome change from the usual testosterone-fueled fare.   //     The story is not a particularly strong one but the interactions between the three ...

The Dive Movie Review

Two sisters May (Louisa Krause) and Drew (Sophie Lowe) haven’t seen each other in some time. They plan a scuba diving trip to reconnect. Underwater escapades were part of their childhood and while giving them a love for the ocean, it also seems to have stirred up some heady emotions.   //     They plan to dive and explore an underwater cave and mid-adventure, a seismic occurrence happens and ends up trapping May under a heavy stone. Thus begins a race by Drew ...

British Film Festival – The Old Oak Movie Review

He has consistently staked out his own territory in the industry. A space that often includes amateur or non-actor cast members and stories cut from the swatch of real life. This results in outstanding work that is socially relevant and emotionally satisfying but it’s a risky proposal.   //     The Old Oak is topical and relevant but those risks outweigh the end results somewhat. The acting is underwhelming and counter to Loach’s usual emotional accuracy this ...

Five Nights At Freddy’s Movie Review

Set in a run-down and closed to the public pizza joint with the previously mentioned singing and dancing cyborgs featured as the main act, Five Nights At Freddy’s takes the first few reels to set the scene. Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is haunted by dreams of the time his little brother was kidnapped and is raising his little sister Abby (Piper Rubio) by himself.   //     Consumed by those awful memories Mike seems unable to keep a job until he gets a gig as ...

Dumb Money Movie Review

Brokers on Wall Street use a technique called Short Selling where they bet on the decline of a company's fortunes to make money. It’s based on borrowing a stock, selling the stock and then buying the stock back to return it to the lender. If the stock price goes down, then you'll pay less to replace the shares and make a profit.   //   If that sounds dubious, it’s probably because it is. Dumb Money follows the story of Keith Gill (Paul Dano) a video blog host who ...

The Exorcist: Believer Movie Review

A lot of scary movies have been released since then and the audiences of today need a much bigger jolt to get the heart racing. Believer wisely avoids that arms race and instead delivers a heathy dose of nostalgia along with the thrills. This includes the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil and a satisfying cameo that everyone will see coming.   //   In some way this newest edition ups the ante by featuring two young ladies who become possessed instead of just one. ...

The Creator Movie Review

Into this ever-expanding category comes Gareth Edwards’ The Creator. His directorial work on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Godzilla shows he has game in this medium and this is his boldest statement yet. He uses cutting-edge effects to full advantage and tackles a topic that is at the forefront of human thinking at the moment.   //   On the surface, the story tells of a time in the future when AI or artificial intelligence has become a species of its own and is in ...

Italian Film Festival – The Eight Mountains Movie Review

Pietro (played at various ages by Luca Marinelli, Lupo Barbiero and Andrea Palma) and Bruno (Alessandro Borghi, Cristiano Sassella and Francesco Palombelli) are childhood friends. Pietro comes from the city and Bruno the country and they both have a lot to learn from each other. Their personal fortunes are also in constant flux.   //     This ongoing change in life conditions between the two gives the film a completely believable narrative. The ebb and flow leads ...

Retribution Movie Review

Set in Berlin, Neeson plays Matt Turner a high-stakes broker who has ignored his family pursuing profits so egregiously that they are looking for the exit. When Matt is guilted into taking his children Zach (Jack Champion) and Emily (Lilly Aspell) to school, what starts as an inconvenience turns tragic.   //   When he learns that his expensive ride has come equipped with the optional booby-trap bomb under the seat the day only gets worse. He is being blackmailed by an ...