Reviews

"È un gioco, non è un corso,"* says a battered former jockey, illustrating perhaps the starkest difference between Italian horse-racing documentary Palio, and the vastly superior Senna. In that...

With a backdrop of violence and gangs, the friendship that writer and director Ken Ninomaya creates is one of hope and honesty. Punctuated perfectly by rock music throughout, and with violence that never errs...

Laborer Dennis (Garfield) has his house foreclosed; desperate and inhabiting a small apartment with his son and mother, he winds up working for the slimeball who evicted him (Shannon). Bahrani, one of the...

Like its lead, McFarland USA has a simple, easygoing charm - and in director Niki Caro’s hands (the film, not Costner) what seems so 'route one' plays out at a significantly more enjoyable pace than its...

It would be difficult to flub a documentary about so inspirational a subject, but He Named Me Malala exceeds expectations and delivers its important message with grace and power. The documentary is...

Like Joshua Oppenheimer's astounding The Look of Silence, Censored Voices turns the lens of history onto the victors of a conflict they perceive as a righteous one - however not quite to the same level of...

A confused tone overhangs Princess, adding to what is already an uncomfortable watch. In some parts it's stiflingly creepy, so much so that it’s hard to watch, at other times we see a tenderness towards...

Violently dull, and then just violent, Madame Courage is a film with nothing new to say. Its mood of stasis interrupted by extreme violence is reminiscent of Nicolas Winding Refn, but without the style....

With Craig Robert’s first turn as a director out of the way, it’s easy to see why “wunderkind” comes up so much. Just Jim marks a new and crucial development in Roberts' thematic repertoire, showing...

It’s a testament to Kári’s direction and Jónsson’s performance that Virgin Mountain remains engrossing despite being relentlessly downbeat. Jónsson doesn’t soften his performance by suggesting...

Friendships are tested in this mellow hybrid between a documentary and a drama. Cronies' style references sitcoms like The Office and Parks & Rec with its breaking the fourth wall, but struggles to say...

Love, hatred, fear, laughter, sadness; you name it, Sean McAllister’s heart-breaking documentary about a family of Syrian refugees has it in spades. As compelling a romance as any you’ll find on screen,...

With scant time to acclimatise, Everest is quick to set up base camp deep in the foreshadowing of the mountain. Everest is a sight worthy of cinema’s largest screens, and a breathtaking canvas for the...

A Walk in the Woods feels like Planes, Trains and Automobiles in a dressing gown and some comfy slippers. Robert Redford and Nick Nolte make for a wonderfully odd couple, but the script gives them little to...

Not dissimilar to Bobcat Goldthwaite or Jody Hill’s oeuvre, first time directors Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel manage to create something from (seemingly) nothing. Initially low stakes escalate...