Violent Night Movie Review
Being that there is never too much of a bad thing to restore the balance, Violent Night blasts into this holiday season with a twisted take on old Saint-Nic. This Kris Kringle, played by Stranger Things' David Harbour packs a punch courtesy of a Nord background and a big sledgehammer.
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Centred around a rich family led by the caustic Gertrude Lightstone played by Beverly D’Angelo in uber bitch mode. This group is as dysfunctional as any in recent memory, so when ...
Margrete – Queen of the North Movie Review
With unease just under the surface and enemies all around, Margrete will have to face one of her toughest challenges. A task that will redefine her sense of self and show the ultimate strength and love for her country she possesses. A strength that comes at the cost of her feelings of motherhood.
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When watching a foreign film and recognising few if any of the actors, the ability to get lost in the story is enhanced. There isn’t the distraction of career-establi...
Bones and All Movie Review
The work has some visceral thrills that are only enhanced by the element of the unknown. The first of those moments took me by complete surprise and that feeling was more than intriguing. Having no idea of where it was going from that point on was liberating.
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That the filmakers were able to weave an almost touching love story into the mix following that shocking moment is a testament to the craft on display here. Those shocks are used so sparingly, their impact is ...
Strange World Movie Review
Using a somewhat typical mighty mouse storyline about the virtue of the family unit to make some pointed comments on the ill effects of the world’s reliance on petrol and disregard for the health of the planet is slightly unusual. This divergence is a welcome addition to the usual kiddie fare.
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This does cause things to go slightly awry in its accessibility to the very young. The high concept might leave the little ones feeling a bit left out. In many ways it is ...
The Menu Movie Review
The restaurant in the film, Hawthorne is based loosely on an actual restaurant called KOKS that was featured in the Danish documentary Nordic by Nature - Michelin Stars. It shares that establishment’s isolated island location but flips the script and introduces a real sense of peril to its diners.
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The film’s structure as it resolves works on so many levels. As social commentary, it is wickedly assertive and the comments on the anonymity that many expect from ...
Seriously Red Movie Review
When a story is built around a person finding their way in life, it’s always more engaging if you feel empathetic towards that person and it is here that Seriously Red presents several challenges. Had the character of Red been a man their behaviour would be easy to dismiss as boorish and guilty of moments of toxic masculinity.
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Flipping the script around to the female gender diffuses some of this but it’s still problematic. Within the context of those limitat...
She Said Movie Review
Change the gender and almost all of the victims in She Said could have been soldiers returning from war. They have been so traumatised by the harm done to them that just the mention of the name Weinstein brings a visceral reaction. Their PTSD is overtly visible.
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Equal parts enthralling and appalling, The film illustrates the abuses of power that were protected by faceless people on high that have left all of its victims scarred for life. The evil spectre of Harvey ...
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Movie Review
There is sadness in both remembrance and storyline but the emotional content feels respectful and expansive. Introducing an entirely new race of people and having them be both friend and foe helps to defy expectations.
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This is far and away one of the most character-driven Marvel films and it challenges the audience with a thoughtful but somewhat leisurely first few reels. When it kicks into gear, there are some well-paced and expertly executed action sequences.
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Armageddon Time Movie Review
Writing that mirrors real life accurately is so difficult. The text here is so free of imposed conventions and false facades, it makes you realise how infrequently we are given words this eloquent and free of contrivances.
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Six-grader Paul Graff (Repeta) lives with his Jewish family in Queens, New York in the eighties. He is a sensitive child whose talents lay outside conventional scholastic ability. He only connects with his grandfather (Hopkins) who supports his ...
British Film Festival: Lancaster Movie Review
In the early forties there was no certainty that Hitler and the Nazis would be defeated and Britain was on the precipice of defeat. The German bombing of England was relentless and lasted eight months. This led to the death of 43.000 poor souls. The RAF Spitfires ultimately saved the day but there was cause to retaliate and thus the need for a bomber with greater capabilities.
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There were bombers in the fleet and also in production but they were inadequate for the ...
