Reviews

Project X meets The Butterfly Effect in this story of time-travelling teens, sponsored by Microsoft and Maserati. It wouldn't be a Michael Bay production without obscene product placement and lots of staring...

Blackhat is that rarest of things: a thriller with an almost meditative pulse. The art of hacking is explored with a perfunctory and workmanlike rigour, as are the cast, let down by Foehl’s script. The...

Ethan Hawke swaps Boyhood for boredom in Predestination, the latest film to get lost in time travel. Despite a promising premise and outlandish imagination, Predestination fails overall to be fresh or...

As soon as the lights dim, Ten No Chasuke detonates into hilarious and fascinating existence. Armed with an inimitable concept, Sabu fearlessly dives in with a relentless arsenal of one liners and visual...

Life begins with exciting momentum. It enjoys high quality writing and is genuinely funny at times. It is aesthetically impactful. So what’s the problem? Good writing does not necessarily equal a good...

Love and Mercy begins with promise but this is subsequently dismantled. The positives include wonderful orchestration and initially smooth linkage between the separate chronologies; they extend to the able...

There are some who might approach Cinderella with cynicism or circumspection. Abandon these sentiments. Yes, the film begins somewhat too treacly, complete with melodramatic exchanges and breathily gasped...

How do you add tension to a story when the audience is already aware of your conclusion? Hirschbiegel wisely focuses Elser‘s attention upon the individual, exploring the why and what rather than the drama...

Mipo O delivers a tragic tale of love by the sea in this valiant but lacklustre drama that premiered at the 2015 Raindance Film Festival. Tatsuo (Gô Ayano), the drifter, is embroiled in a story of trauma...

Though all this recent romcom doom and gloom seems just a little harsh, Two Night Stand won’t do much to turn the tide. Unfortunately this cinematic bottle episode falls down on its frequently twee genre...

Following in the vein of Simon Curtis' last feature My Week with Marilyn, Woman in Gold is a safe yet surprisingly moving film. Mirren is on startling form, delivering one-liners and thoughtful...

Every now and then a film comes along that is so powerful, bold and admirable in its aims and ambitions that you feel the world must sit up and take notice. Joshua Oppenheimer has done it once before with The...

Chock-full of surprises and nigh-on indefinable, Nasty Baby shocks, subverts and delights in equal measure - to say much more would risk revealing too much. Sharp and sardonic, this naturalistically-acted...

It might seem peculiar that a film comprised of a series of observations and very little dialogue could be so riveting, yet it is. This is facilitated by Jem Cohen’s insightful eye. Through his perspective...

How can so much talent result in so little? This "dramatic" "comedy" misses every narrative beat, covering mental health, death, sex and money with no meaningful statement or focus. The script and...