Both Sides of the Blade
Simon Bowie reviews Claire Denis’ new film, FIRE (also known as BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE), an intense love triangle drama that skirts the border of melodrama.
Category Archives: Reviews
Benediction
Simon Bowie reviews Terence Davies’ BENEDICTION, a biopic of poet Siegfried Sassoon that wrestles gamely with the idea of how to depict the effervescence of poetry on film.
Vortex
Simon Bowie reviews Gaspar Noé’s VORTEX, a relentlessly heartbreaking but thoroughly entrancing experiment of a film.
The Gravedigger’s Wife
Simon Bowie reviews THE GRAVEDIGGER’S WIFE, a well told story that brings to life a profound portrait of life in Djibouti.
A Banquet
Simon Bowie reviews Ruth Paxton’s A BANQUET, a stylish women-led horror film tackling fears around disordered eating.
Ashgrove
ASHGROVE boldly takes on heady questions and deftly intertwines the personal with the global in an intensely relatable way for anyone living through the ongoing global pandemic and slow destruction of Earth through climate change.
Freaks Out
There is never a shortage of World War II-adjacent films, but Gabriele Mainetti’s latest feature gives a sentimental superhero makeover to the well-trodden narrative of infiltrating the Nazis.
Please Baby Please
Does Please Baby Please break new ground? Possibly not. Does it entertain, thrill, and captivate continually, using its cast of familiar character faces to great effect? Absolutely. Kramer’s vision is a raucous delight that will grow on every rewatch.
The Fam
Steph Brown reviews Fred Baillif’s THE FAM (LA MIF), an emotionally charged drama diving into the turbulent world of a residential home for girls. Baillif’s past experience in social care, and the use of a non-professional cast who channel their own experiences and vulnerabilities adds empathy and authenticity to the stories on screen.
Life of Crime 1984-2020
In the opening minutes of Jon Alpert’s real-time biographical documentary, Jon stays with two men who are preparing a burglary in broad daylight on a main street in Newark, New Jersey. The tools are unloaded, the car prepared for a fast getaway, and smiles and jokes bounce between the two soon-to-be thieves. When asked what … Continue reading Life of Crime 1984-2020