Joker: a Batmobile with the engine of a clown car
Despite many technical highs in JOKER, the lack of nuance and a determination to be iconically shocking mean Todd Phillips’s film is a Batmobile with the engine of a clown car. Jim Ross reviews.
All posts by Jim Ross
Schemers
Many of the themes of the light-hearted and enjoyable SCHEMERS remain relevant to this day, but the setting gives the film an affectionate nostalgia to hang them upon. Jim Ross reviews.
The Day Shall Come
In THE DAY SHALL COME Chris Morris develops a sadness at the absurdity that perpetuates a status quo with an expensive human cost. Jim Ross reviews.
Aniara Creators Interview
Jim Ross spoke with the makers of the Swedish sci-fi festival hit ANIARA, out now in UK cinemas and available digitally.
Pain and Glory (Dolor y Gloria)
PAIN AND GLORY is a beautiful portrait of an accumulation of decades of personal experiences, decisions, connections and creative expression. Pedro Almodóvar turns his skill for dissecting passion and desire inward to create a character study that is both intensely personal and relatable on account of the heartbreak and soul-stirring it conjures. Jim Ross reviews.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The uniquely melancholic lament of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, belied by the fairy-tale title, suggests Tarantino’s misty-eyed romanticism for cinema has perhaps clouded the clarity of his own artistic vision. Jim Ross reviews.
Transit
TRANSIT presents the darker shadows of history. Humankind itself is stalled and in limbo. While we stand still, the echoes of the past grow louder until we can hear them loud and clear right alongside us. Jim Ross reviews.
Scheme Birds
Placed in the hands of such technically skilled filmmakers, this important story simply soars. Jim Ross reviews SCHEME BIRDS.
Sasha Collington Interview
Jim Ross speaks with the director of Edinburgh International Film Festival selection LOVE TYPE D, Sasha Collington.
Robert The Bruce
ROBERT THE BRUCE find itself caught between two stools, and although well made, that undermines the intimate concept and commanding central performance. Jim Ross reviews at Edinburgh International Film Festival.