Tag: Film Review
-
Lion.
The sight of authentic Indian street confectioneries on a kitchen counter sparks a vital memory for Saroo, a university student who’s grown up in Tasmania, adopted by a loving native couple at the age of five. Now in his early twenties, he’s forgotten the first years of his life in India which resulted in being…
-
Split.
Split is by no means the worst film M. Night Shyamalan has ever made but that’s hardly saying something. As dumb and eccentric as one would expect, Split centres around three teenage girls kidnapped by Kevin, a man with 23 separate personalities. Confined to a windowless room in a mysterious underground lair with seemingly endless…
-
La La Land.
A mere two years since Damien Chazelle scooped up several Oscars with Whiplash – only his second feature film – the director returns with La La Land, looking set to dominate next month’s award ceremony. Starring Ryan Gosling’s charm and Emma Stone’s charisma, La La Land is set in contemporary Hollywood and follows two frustrated artists who find refuge in one…
-
Manchester by the Sea.
Following the death of his brother, a handy man residing in Boston must return to his hometown to oversee arrangements for the funeral, as well as the aftercare of his nephew. Lee is insular and isolated, highlighted through the crisp white snow we see him shovelling in the film’s opening scenes. He is often wrapped…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
Hannah McHaffie 