Moonage Daydream Movie Review
Morgen (Producer of Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Kid Stays in the Picture) continues with his idiosyncratic take on the documentary genre. The story is mostly told in audio clips from Bowie himself and does its best to lay out his artistic vision.
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It’s interesting how much of a male view this is and gives short shift to the women in his life that helped him at numerous points in his career. Iman barley gets a mention and 'Angie' Angela Barnett not at all. ...
Three Thousand Years of Longing Movie Review
You may think you know where the story goes from here but it veers into a much more interesting narrative. It’s more about The Djinn’s (Idris Elba) story and how he came to be trapped in the bottle. Few actors have the gravitas vocally as Elba and it’s used to great effect as he spins his tale.
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As the story expands you find the loneliness that The Djinn has experienced being trapped in the bottle for centuries is equally matched by Alithea’s emotionally ...
Beast Movie Review
After its entire pride is decimated by a group of marauding poachers, a lion goes rogue and became the beast of the film’s title. He sweeps through the area surrounding his den disposing of almost all of its human inhabitants. This massive creature is relentless in its aggression and ferociousness.
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Into this cauldron steps Dr Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) and his two young daughters Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries). The Samuels are joined on this ...
Nope Movie Review
The film starts with a fictitious reenactment involving a real-life chimpanzeeTV star named Travis who infamously mauled a friend of its owner. This event makes more sense as the story evolves. All the events in the first reel have connections and consequences to actions that take place as the film progresses.
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Jordan Peele who wrote, produced and directed the film always builds many layers of meaning into his work and this is among his more deeply nuanced projec...
Bullet Train Movie Review
The set-up reads simply on paper but in practice continues to reveal multiple plot lines and characters until the very last moments of the film. It first focuses on Brad Pitt’s character Ladybug, a reluctant criminal who spouts a stream of zen-like sayings that wouldn’t look out of place on someone’s kitchen tea towel.
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As things progress we meet an ever eclectic mob of killers and crooks and each has something new to offer backstory-wise. There is also a ...
Scandinavian Film Festival: Nordic By Nature Movie Review
The restaurant became internationally known when it won its first Michelin star in 2017. It also only serves 30 diners a night but still has nine chefs and five waiters. The film focuses on head chef Poul Andrias Ziska. His views on sourcing and preparing food are informed by the harsh landscape of the Faroe Islands.
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The film uses an unflinching approach to depicting how Ziska deals with livestock and marine animals. This includes the butchering of a sheep and the ...
Official Competition Movie Review
Humberto Suárez (José Luis Gómez) is a very rich maven of the pharmaceutical industry that wants to create something to be remembered by and figures why not make a film. His complete lack of experience poses not problem. He buys the rights to a book he’s never read and hires famous director Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz).
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Cuevas is a world class eccentric and she hires matinee idol Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) and world class thespian Iván Torres (Oscar ...
Scandinavian Film Festival: 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 her ultimate strength and love for her country. 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-established personas to ...
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time Movie Review
Arriving over a decade after the author’s passing in 2007 comes writer/producer/documentarian Robert B. Weide’s loving tribute to the man. Known to most through his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weide’s decades-long friendship with Vonnegut gives him a wide-ranged view into his life and times. He provides a warts and all overview.
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As irreverent as Vonnegut’s books were, Unstuck in Time is a fairly straightforward look at his life. It’s told linearly and ...
Thor: Love and Thunder Movie Review
The results are a mixed bunch, to say the least. The breezy Antipodean humour of the previous film is almost entirely missing. The jokes feel formulaic and forced and the hit ratio of laughs to groans is quite low. There are some funny bits like Thor’s naked butt rocking some tramp stamps and Russell Crow’s hammy appearance as Zeus that do help to spice things up.
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As oft times in these endeavours, it’s the lack of imagination in the script that keeps things ...
