Civil War may present itself as a dystopian timeline, bringing with it the desolation of the United States. But while this may be a concept worth discussing, Alex Garland offers more to dissect and explore than the inevitable political discourse for the presidential election. Imagining a world where the United States disbands, each state fighting…… Continue reading Civil War
Category: Movie Reviews
Back to Black
Amy Winehouse’s life is fictionalised in Back to Black directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, exhuming all the traumas and distasteful stories, when the musician should just be allowed to rest in peace. Everything about Back to Black oozes discomfort, a fictionalised biopic about Amy Winehouse directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose last directed biopic, Nowhere Boy (2009),…… Continue reading Back to Black
Seize Them!
Seize Them! seeks a quest for comedy with its cast of Aimee Lou Wood and Nicola Coughlan, but no jester would keep their head after pedalling this amount of detritus for an hour and a half. Seize Them!, directed by Curtis Vowell, was screened early as part of a new national initiative funded by the…… Continue reading Seize Them!
Late Night with the Devil
Waning late night talk-show host Jack Delroy made television history in 1977 when his Halloween special of Night Owls went fatally wrong. Four decades on, Late Night with the Devil is an expose of the footage from that night. Jack Delroy, introduced in a true crime mockumentary style, is the talk show host for late…… Continue reading Late Night with the Devil
Baltimore
Imogen Poots encapsulates the rage of the late Rose Dugdale in a slow-burn drama by Joe Lawlor and Christine Malloy. Heiress Rose Dugdale died aged 82 on 18 March 2024 and is best known for her contributions to the efforts of the IRA in acting towards an Irish republic. By orchestrating an art heist worth…… Continue reading Baltimore
The Persian Version
There’s a heartfelt story by Iranian-American Maryam Keshavarz in The Persian Version buried deep within its Gen-Z fourth-wall-breaking narration. Yet, there’s a lot to wade through to get to its heartfelt acknowledgement of mothering and sacrifice. In Keshavarz’s semi-autobiographical film, The Persian Version, Leila (Layla Mohammadi) is a lesbian filmmaker in her 20s, the youngest…… Continue reading The Persian Version
Motherboard
Motherboard is a video diary from BAFTA-winner Victoria Mapplebeck spanning twenty years following the upbringing of her son Jim. Motherboard was screened as part of the 2024 Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX) programme. A video diary from BAFTA-winner Victoria Mapplebeck, functioning as both a self-portrait and a time capsule of her son’s childhood, this…… Continue reading Motherboard
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift applies her recognizable Taylor’s Version treatment to her concert film, Taylor Swift’s Era Tour, directed by Sam Wrench, by including five songs cut from the theatrical version. There’s an elegant euphoria as Taylor Swift saunters onto the stage. Her bejewelled costume with matching heeled cowboy boots shimmer and astound as her presence illuminates…… Continue reading Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)
Monster
Hirokazu Koreeda and the late Ryuichi Sakamoto deliver a storytelling masterclass with their work on Monster. Three perspectives, each differing in tone, are woven together, revealing a tapestry of truth and identity. A single mother, Saori, delicately played by Sakura Andô, notices distress in her son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) when he comes home from school…… Continue reading Monster
Janey
Janey Godley is immortalised in a biographical documentary illustrating her stand-up legacy following a diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer. Reflecting on her childhood, she considers how this has informed the raising of her daughter whilst navigating her relationship with comedy, performance, and identity. Janey was screened as part of the programme for the 2024 Glasgow Film…… Continue reading Janey