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Colette – LFF 2018 Review

If you’re not a fan of historical costume dramas, this won’t be the film to convert you – but don’t dismiss it just yet: Colette has the fascinating eponymous French novelist as its subject, a woman...
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The Boy Downstairs – Review

The Boy Downstairs, although it may most comfortably sit within the rom-com genre, avoids the common tropes and clichés of many of the poorer (and multitudinous) romantic comedies. Diana (a quirky Zosia...
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The Breadwinner – Review

This film was previously reviewed on 15/10/2017 as part of London Film Festival. Although ostensibly a children’s animation, just as its source material was a children’s novel, The Breadwinner confronts...
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Funny Cow – Review

This film was previously reviewed on 17/10/17 as part of London Film Festival. Funny Cow is literally Maxine Peake’s show, as she narrates her tough life – and the film – from a later point of success...
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Journeyman – Review

This film was previously reviewed on 18/10/17 as part of London Film Festival. Journeyman is a film waiting ringside to deliver a heavy, gut-wrenching blow; it’s not a sucker punch – you know it’s...
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Battle of the Sexes – Review

This was previously reviewed on 07/10/17 as part of London Film Festival. Many have heard of the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, marketed as ‘The Battle of the Sexes’, but...
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6 Days – Review

This was originally reviewed on 18/10/17 as part of London Film Festival. It’s surprising that it took so long for 6 Days’ subject matter to receive the onscreen treatment, as it depicts the famous 1980...
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The Boy Downstairs – LFF 2017 Review

The Boy Downstairs, although it may most comfortably sit within the rom-com genre, avoids the common tropes and clichés of many of the poorer (and multitudinous) romantic comedies. Diana (a quirky Zosia...
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Journeyman – LFF 2017 Review

Journeyman is a film waiting ringside to deliver a heavy, gut-wrenching blow; it’s not a sucker punch – you know it’s coming from the film’s traditional structure and triumphant opening act – but...
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Small Town Crime – LFF 2017 Review

Why isn't John Hawkes in more films? He is mesmerising here as hopeless, selfish, drunk ex-copper Mike Kendall, whose life fell apart 17 months ago – and who still hasn't managed to piece it back together...
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AlphaGo – LFF 2017 Review

AlphaGo is an ostensibly dry and rather niche documentary on DeepMind’s efforts – from an idea 20 years in the making – to teach its AI to master the ancient Chinese board game Go. This game is...