If Beale Street Could Talk – LFF 2018 review Rhys Handley October 21, 2018 Reviews New York in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk is pulsating, alive and wholly authentic – populated with little fanfare by people of all shades. Following up Moonlight – a watershed achievement...
Dublin Oldschool – LFF 2018 review Rhys Handley October 20, 2018 Reviews In spite of its name, Dublin Oldschool spends very little time actually considering its distinct and characterful setting. Throughout, there’s a general disregard for any storytelling possibilities laid...
Blaze – LFF 2018 review Rhys Handley October 19, 2018 Reviews Shot dead at the age of 39 in a mundane dispute over a friend’s pension slip, Blaze Foley has been folded into country music legend – spoken of in whispers, his influences keenly felt but never explicitly...
The Kindergarten Teacher – LFF 2018 Review Rhys Handley October 18, 2018 Reviews Most of us will one day be made to face our own mediocrity, contend with the fact we’re only ordinary, and find ways to fit into a world where we are merely spectators to more powerful, exceptional...
Life Itself – LFF 2018 review Rhys Handley October 15, 2018 Reviews You know the dude in Starbucks, the one with the thick-rimmed glasses, chequered shirt and a macchiato who’s forever working on his screenplay? Well, Life Itself is that very screenplay, and somehow it’s...
Maya – LFF 2018 review Rhys Handley October 15, 2018 Reviews Returned to the world after four months under ISIS captivity, war reporter Gabriel (Roman Kolinka) comes back to Paris a man transformed and ill at ease with the haunting familiarities and the discomfiting...
Beautiful Boy – LFF 2018 review Rhys Handley October 13, 2018 Reviews Journalist David Sheff and his son Nic exist on opposite ends of a spectrum; at once, they balance out a complete picture while repelling and aggravating each other in equal measure. Belgian director Felix...
The Secret of Marrowbone – Review James Andrews July 16, 2018 Reviews In the wake of the sensational Hereditary, another psychological horror about a tormented, seemingly cursed family was always going to struggle in comparison. And while it ultimately goes in a wholly different...
Captain Fantastic vs. Death Rhys Handley June 27, 2018 Features, Love Letter, Nostalgia Behind its fanciful premise; its lush, heightened production design; and a thick, swirling cloud of ambient Sigur Rós atmospherics, Matt Ross’ Captain Fantastic is an incredibly frank film. Its musings...
Six Rounds – Review Rhys Handley June 17, 2018 Reviews Mark Duggan, an unarmed black man aged 29, was shot dead by police in Tottenham, north London on 4th August 2011, inciting six days of riots that swept England. The chaos, and the systemic injustices leading...
Eighth Grade – Review Kambole Campbell June 3, 2018 Reviews This review was originally published as part of our Sundance Film Festival coverage on 03/06/2018. Most people will understand the feeling of suddenly recalling a specific, painfully embarrassing moment...
Rise of the Mack: Mackenzie Davis’ TV Path to Movie Glory Rhys Handley May 3, 2018 Analysis, Features, Spotlight Mackenzie Davis is about to happen. She’s already caught the attention of big hitters like Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve, and the cool Canadian kid continues to fill the blockbuster scene with fleeting...
Kodachrome – Review James Andrews April 20, 2018 Reviews Netflix’s latest original movie comes with a disclaimer warning that it contains product placement. With the title being the brand name of a type of Kodak film, and a proud declaration that it was shot on...
Tiny Rebels – Wes Anderson’s Quiet Revolution Rhys Handley March 28, 2018 Analysis, Close-Up, Features Wes Anderson is the most polite filmmaker in punk rock, but that’s probably what makes him the most effective, too. Notorious for his meticulousness and specificity, the Texan philosophy graduate’s...
How Taraji P. Henson Went Stratospheric With Hidden Figures James Andrews March 22, 2018 Analysis, Features, Spotlight Taraji P. Henson was snubbed for a Best Actress Oscar nomination in 2017 for her brilliant work in Hidden Figures. Simple as. Portraying real-life NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson as she provides vital...