Philomena – Review Chris Davies October 26, 2013 Reviews 1 Comment From Stephen Frears, director of The Queen, Philomena is a funny yet thought-provoking film. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan give strong performances as Lee and Sixsmith, but the true star is ultimately the...
Labor Day – LFF Review Chris Davies October 26, 2013 Reviews Based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, Labor Day is a moving drama from Jason Reitman. Told as an extended flashback, the film is a mixture of coming-of-age drama and mature romance. Darker and more...
Captain Phillips – Review Chris Davies October 26, 2013 Reviews 2 Comments Based on the true story of Richard Phillips’ struggle against four Somali pirates who hijack his cargo ship, Paul Greengrass’ latest is a tense and unrelenting thriller. Shot using the vérité techniques...
Enough Said – Review David Brake October 26, 2013 Reviews 1 Comment James Gandolfini’s final bow is an impeccably performed, hugely likeable, entirely naturalistic romantic comedy for grown-ups. Avoiding the usual pitfalls and pratfalls of the genre, Holofcener’s...
Mystery Road – LFF Review Chris Davies October 21, 2013 Reviews Australian filmmaker Ivan Sen writes, directs, photographs, scores, and edits his latest film, Mystery Road, revealing him to be a jack of all trades and master of… some. Clearly inspired by Westerns,...
Blue Jasmine – Review Cameron Ward October 16, 2013 Reviews 1 Comment In Woody Allen's latest cityscape, a listless San Francisco plays host to the ghosts of New York. What is perhaps most impressive about Blue Jasmine is its seamless integration of psyche and structure....
Gravity – LFF Review David Brake October 10, 2013 Reviews 2 Comments "I think a future flight should include a poet, a priest and a philosopher . . . we might get a much better idea of what we saw." - Michael Collins, the pilot of Apollo 11, describing his views from the...
All Is Lost – LFF Review David Brake October 7, 2013 Reviews Apart from Our Man's opening monologue, the only words of dialogue are the occasional groan of discomfort and an elongated 'Fuuuuuuck'. Redford's actions and expressions must carry the film. The 76-year-old...
Kill Your Darlings – LFF Review David Brake October 5, 2013 Reviews To make a debut feature about the birth of beat poetry in America is a bold and risky move. Krokidas scores surprisingly well by looking at the movement not through typewriters and papers but through people...
The Armstrong Lie – LFF Review David Brake September 29, 2013 Reviews The two universal questions surrounding the Lance Armstrong saga are: How did it go on for so long, and why did he do it? Packed with frank admissions from nearly all parties involved, the film thrives when...
We’re the Millers – Review Stephen O'Nion September 25, 2013 Reviews 1 Comment Not all of We're the Millers' jokes are in the ubiquitous trailers. A lot of them are, but not all. Plus the trailers do have a lot of jokes. Wacky drug-smuggling action serves to unite this...
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa – Review Stephen O'Nion September 24, 2013 Reviews Finally! Norwich Alan Partridge gets the big-screen treatment the world has demanded. While Alan has changed – his hair longer, his waistline larger, his expressions less subtle – Coogan still inhabits...
Elysium – Review Cameron Ward August 28, 2013 Reviews 1 Comment South African director Neill Blomkamp once again conjures up the beautiful filth, in what must be something akin to Steve Jobs' worst nightmare. Just looking at the sheer grittiness of LA's futuristic urban...