Tag: film
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Director Gareth Edwards leads us directly into Lucas’s original trilogy with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s the tale of the rebels responsible for getting the plans for the Death Star into the hands of Princess Leia. This is also the first expansion of what was once George Lucas’s – now Disney’s – universe…
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Chi-Raq
Adapting Greek comedy to the bloody streets of Chicago, Spike Lee has reignited a flame that burns as brightly as ever. Back on top of his game, Lee brings us Chi-Raq, a satirical tale of gang war, sex and the power of both. Frustrated and infuriated at the innocent lives being taken amidst the raging…
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Moana.
From the creators of Aladdin and The Little Mermaid comes Moana, Disney’s latest animated treasure. Daughter of the village chief, Moana resides on the idyllic island of Motunui where her people live off the land in paradisiacal surroundings. As a toddler, Moana is chosen by the sea, leaving her with a constant longing to explore…
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
This review must begin with a confession: I am a Potter-head; an old school one at that. Over the last 18 years I have revisited all 7 books and 8 films multiple times and spent many a car journey and restless night with Stephen Fry perfectly delivering each story from cassette (later CD) to my…
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Arrival.
Sequels and remakes dominate our cinemas, with the likes of Harry Potter, Captain America and James Bond returning again and again for their guaranteed financial success. Sequels start to worry me once we venture outside of the franchise format. With Ridley Scott’s Prometheus having lacked the charm and intelligence of Alien, the announcement of Blade…
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Nocturnal Animals.
Various film posters adorn the walls of my bedroom and have done for the last ten years. I currently have seven framed prints in my room and back at my parent’s house my previous bedroom still features colossal framed images of Rear Window, Sleeper, Blade Runner and Raise the Red Lantern. Next to my expansive…
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Train to Busan.
An explosive debut feature from Yeon Sang-Ho, Train to Busan joins the likes of A Girl Who Walks Home Alone at Night and Maggie as one of several recent and refreshing additions to the overcrowded zombie movie vault – here to rejuvenate the genre and breath new life into the un-dead. It’s the first zombie…
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Ethel & Ernest.
The cinematic adaptation of Raymond Briggs’ graphic novel, Ethel & Ernest tells the story of the artist’s parents – their marriage, their lives, their triumphs and tragedies. It opens with a brief interview with Briggs where he briefly describes how he remembers his parents and their relatively undramatic relationship. What follows is the tale of…
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American Honey.
Andrea Arnold has a deserved reputation as a filmmaker who tackles the grimmest and most distressing of scenarios through her work; never shying away from the violence, neglect and reality that might be involved. From the dread that builds in her short film Wasp, to the bleak visual nastiness of Red Road to the frank sexual…
Hannah McHaffie 