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Mary Queen of Scots – Review

It’s hard to imagine a juicier historical story to film. Two rare female leaders in 16th century Britain, locked in fights for their crowns, their heritage and their lives – all while trying to steal each...
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The Favourite – Review

This review was originally published as part of our Venice Film Festival coverage on 31/08/2018. Yorgos Lanthimos and his tragicomic experiments have been a favourite of arthouse cinema for years now, from...
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The House that Jack Built – Review

This review was originally published as part of our Cannes Film Festival coverage on 16/05/2018. Lars Von Trier is back with The House that Jack Built, a 150-minute grotesque epic going deep inside the mind...
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Creed II – Review

Creed managed the rarest of things, successfully handing the franchise baton on to a new generation. In comparison, surely Creed II should be an easy knockout? The screenwriting team hit fundamental...
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Shoplifters – Review

This film was previously reviewed on 15/05/2018 as part of the Cannes Film Festival. Hirokazu Kore-eda is on familiar ground with Shoplifters, the story of an unconventional family unit on the fringes of...
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Charlie Says – Venice 2018 Review

The tastefulness of marking the 50th anniversary of the Manson murders with a slew of films, TV shows and documentaries is highly debatable, but if you’re going to do it, at least Mary Harron is a more...
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Sunset – Venice 2018 Review

László Nemes’ previous film, Son of Saul, was a harrowing and visceral fever dream, dragging the viewer through the charnel house of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Much of its power came from...
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The Announcement – Venice 2018 Review

When political instability becomes the norm, what happens to the fear and drama it normally inspires? The Announcement, directed by Mahmut Fazil Coskun, puts the basics of social interaction under the...
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The Favourite – Venice 2018 Review

Yorgos Lanthimos and his tragicomic experiments have been a favourite of arthouse cinema for years now, from the bloody Dogtooth and The Killing of a Sacred Deer to the oddly tender The Lobster. If his...
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BlacKkKlansman – Review

In 2012, when Obama was president and racism in America seemed to be fading, Django Unchained featured a notorious scene with the Ku Klux Klan. Squabbling about eyeholes and spare bags, the white supremacist...