Reviews

If looking for compelling explorations of authorship and the merits of varying artistic mediums, The Plagiarists is not the place to come. Any redeeming qualities are lost under a heavily contrived plot...

In her multi award-winning script, Nora Fingscheidt deals with the unromantic realities of finding foster children a home, creating a film that does not flinch from emotional or physical violence and the...

Ali Abbasi’s Border is a strange breed of film, much like its protagonist, Tina (Eva Melander) – a border control officer with a bizarre ability to smell illegal activity. Abbasi reimagines a short...

This review was originally published as part of our London Film Festival coverage on 21/10/2018. New York in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk is pulsating, alive and wholly authentic – populated...

As befitting its title, the characters with which Lone Scherfig populates The Kindness of Strangers prove the shining emotional heart of the drama. Getting them all together takes some contrivance, not to...

A slasher satire of art criticism, Velvet Buzzsaw promises bite, blood, and a true element of danger – even if the pretentious victims are less than sympathetic. However, after an explosive trailer drop and...

In Deep Impact/Armageddon tradition, Joel Edgerton’s sophomore directing effort is the second film about young people subjected to gay conversion therapy released in a matter of months. As such, Boy Erased...

This review was originally published on 01/02/2018. There’s a lot going on in Alita: Battle Angel, with class warfare, a mysterious past, a conspiracy plot, a teen romance, a detour into a Speed...

... Is everything still awesome? The team behind The LEGO Movie 2 is well ahead of us on that joke, and many others too. This film is even more self-aware than its predecessor, referencing everything from...

In the age of Donald Trump, it's unsurprising that Ruth Bader Ginsburg – only the second woman in history to ascend to the US Supreme Court – has become something of a superhero. And like many superhero...

In recent years, horror and thriller fans have seen a wave of unusual and original films, confronting vital political themes (Get Out, 2017) and kicking back against tired generic tropes (Hereditary, 2018)....

This review was originally published as part of our London Film Festival coverage on 21/10/2018. While Melissa McCarthy has found name recognition, widespread acclaim and even an Academy Award nomination for...

This review was originally published as part of our London Film Festival coverage on 19/10/2018. It’s not often that you watch a two-and-a-half-hour film and think, "that could have been longer." Such...

There’s a lot going on in Alita: Battle Angel, with class warfare, a mysterious past, a conspiracy plot, a teen romance, a detour into a Speed Racer-esque take on roller derby called "Motorball", glimpses...

This review was originally published as part of our London Film Festival coverage on 13/10/2018. An obvious crowd pleaser and Oscar-friendly awards player, it would be easy to underestimate Green Book. And...