Spencer | Dir: Pablo Larrain | ★ ★ ★ ★ When Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) went to the compulsory family gathering that took place over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, she had come a long way from the blushing virgin who married her prince ten years earlier. Pablo Larrain, who […]
La Traviata, My Brothers and I | Dir: Yohan Manca | ★ ★ ★ ★ Yohan Manca’s first feature film was shot in Sète, a French fishing port and seaside resort on the Mediterranean. Beyond the expensive hotels, picturesque beaches and luxury yachts inhabited by the seasonal tourists, is a low-income housing filled with struggling families and […]
Fanny Lye Deliver’d | Dir: Thomas Clay | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ It is 1657 and Fanny Lye (Maxine Peake) lives on a remote Shropshire farm in a simple thatched cottage with her husband John (Charles Dance) and young son Arthur (Zak Adams). Surrounded by mud and continually shrouded in mist and smoke, the cottage becomes the […]
Shiva Baby | Dir: Emma Seligman | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ The opening scene of this film shows an awkward situation when Danielle (Rachel Sennott) has to remind her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari) to give her money after their sexual encounter where, even though she is bored, she gives a passable sound of […]
Cousins | Dir: Ainsley Gardiner & Briar Grace-Smith | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The final scene is the key to this wonderful film, and fortunately I was accompanied by a friend from New Zealand who was able to explain the powerful image of three symbolic colours swirling in the muddy water where three young girls are swimming […]
Boss Level | Dir: Joe Carnahan | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ This breath-taking film opens with a computer game selection of Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) against Mr Good Morning. That is the name the flesh-and-blood Roy has given to his opponent that greets him every morning by wanting to hack him up with a machete. Former […]
Shiva Baby | Dir: Emma Seligman | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ The opening scene of this film shows an awkward situation when Danielle (Rachel Sennott) has to remind her sugar daddy Max (Danny Deferrari) to give her money after their sexual encounter. Eager to get away, Danielle is further embarrassed when Max gives her a bracelet […]
Corpus Christi | Dir: Jan Komasa | ★ ★ ★ ★ ½ This Polish film is based on actual events. Twenty year-old Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) is paroled from prison after serving time for second-degree murder. After finding comfort in religion during his prison term, his desire is to become an ordained priest, but his criminal record prevents […]
German actor Jannik Schümann has introduced his partner to the world, revealing he identifies as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. The 28-year-old posted an image of him embracing his boyfriend Felix Kruck, sharing his relationship with his hundreds of thousands of followers. “I am overwhelmed by all the messages, comments and the love you […]
Girls Can’t Surf | Dir: Christopher Nelius | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Well, girls and women can surf but that wasn’t the generally held belief in the early 1980s when a group of women decided to take on the male-dominated professional surfing world after being allowed to compete since 1976. Theirs was a fight for inclusion, recognition and […]
