Film Reviews

Six Minutes to Midnight review - Judi Dench retains her dignity

Matt Wolf Friday, 26 March 2021

It can't be easy maintaining dignity when everyone in your vicinity is losing theirs. But that's the position in which the inimitable Judi Dench finds herself in Six Minutes to Midnight, a bewildering movie in which star and co-author, Eddie Izzard, spends a lot of time running hither and yon even as the film itself refuses to budge.

Amber and Me review - sensitive documentary about twin girls, one with Down Syndrome

Saskia Baron Friday, 19 March 2021

This heartfelt documentary follows twin girls who are just starting primary school. We first meet Amber struggling to pop her head through her shirt, helped by her sister Olivia.

Minari review - a Korean family searches for the American dream

Markie Robson-Scott Thursday, 18 March 2021

“David, don’t run,” is the refrain that runs through the first scenes of Lee Isaac Chung’s affecting, autobiographical Minari, acclaimed at Sundance, winner of a Golden Globe for best foreign language film (it’s mainly in Korean) and nominated for several Academy Awards.

Verdict review - social realism and court procedural combine in powerful Manila drama

Tom Birchenough Saturday, 13 March 2021

There’s something of an anomaly in Filipino director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s debut feature between its fast-moving dramatic opening, defined by an agile hand-held camera, and the much slower, more static scenes that follow.

Wander Darkly review - bold psychodrama falls short

Tom Baily Saturday, 13 March 2021

Like the sun-happy LA of this film’s setting, there’s a hard-to-pinpoint sham quality to Wander Darkly. It feels like too much phoney dialogue crept in to the final script of this “serious” film by writer-director Tara Miele.

The Columnist review - taking out the trolls

Graham Fuller Friday, 12 March 2021

There aren't many unforgettable moments in The Columnist, but one occurs when the eponymous Dutch journalist Femke Boot (Katja Herbers) clambers from the skylight of her house and, unseen by her middle-aged neighbour (Rein Hofman), who's doing DIY on his roof, tips him to his death on his patio.

Mouthpiece review - double entendre in Toronto

Markie Robson-Scott Wednesday, 10 March 2021

Cassandra and her sister – or perhaps they’re friends or lovers – seem extraordinarily in tune. Like choreographed dancers, they move precisely in unison, down to tripping over their scarves at the same moment or flopping drunkenly into bed together while a cell phone buzzes beside them unanswered, on and on into the night.

Berlinale 2021: Petite Maman review – magical musings on the parent-child relationship

Demetrios Matheou Saturday, 06 March 2021

Hot on the heels of her 2019 triumph Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma’s fifth feature continues a perfect track record; this is yet another gorgeous and perceptive film, told from a determinedly female perspective but with a wisdom that is all-embracing.

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliche review - memorialising her mother

Saskia Baron Saturday, 06 March 2021

There was always something a little diffident about teenage Marion Elliott-Said, who created her on-stage persona Poly Styrene after putting together her band X-Ray Spex from a small ad in the back pages of the NME in 1977.

Coming 2 America review - Eddie Murphy returns as African Prince Akeem

Veronica Lee Friday, 05 March 2021

Eddie Murphy – one of the biggest stars of the 1980s – has taken his time in making a sequel to the enormously successful Coming to America, which was released in 1988.

Into the Darkness review - disappointingly soapy Danish WWII drama

Saskia Baron Friday, 05 March 2021

Can a film be both too long and too short? If so, Into the Darkness definitely fits the bill. Anders Refn’s long-nurtured family epic follows Karl Skov (Jesper Christensen, more famous as a Bond villain), a self-made Danish industrialist who struggles with his conscience when his country surrenders to Germany in 1940.

Berlinale 2021: Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn review – cheeky, timely and very provocative

Demetrios Matheou Thursday, 04 March 2021

The Romanian director Radu Jude invariably serves spicy satire that challenges his compatriots to face historical crimes and present failings. The latest is an erudite and daft, raunchy and knockabout, endlessly provocative film that, for sake of brevity, we’ll call Loony Porn.

Moxie review - likeable if confused high school comedy

Matt Wolf Wednesday, 03 March 2021

A teen comedy with a thematic difference, Moxie has enough memorable moments to firmly establish comedian Amy Poehler as a director worth reckoning with in what is her second film, following Wine Country in 2019.

Judas and the Black Messiah review - powerful biopic

Saskia Baron Friday, 26 February 2021

One of the sadnesses of covid is that films like Judas and the Black Messiah have been held over for release in the hope that cinemas will reopen. Immersive, intense features like this deserve to be seen in a darkened theatre with no distractions. But as the pandemic drags on in the UK, distributors are forced to debut big films on the small screen and it’s a real shame in this instance.

To Olivia review - Keeley Hawes rises above brainless biopic

Matt Wolf Friday, 19 February 2021

Sure, Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but is that any excuse for a film quite so saccharine? He of all challenging and complex men, with a temperament to match, seems an odd subject for the sort of weightless, paint-by-numbers biopic that would be hard-pressed to muster much attention even as TV filler on a particularly dead night.

Music review - a few music videos cobbled together

Tom Baily Friday, 19 February 2021

What did Sia want to achieve with Music, her deeply confused first stumble into filmmaking? The reclusive Australian has enjoyed years of global fame for a successful music career. Was it never enough?