Masaaki Akahori’s debut film brings a novel approach to the samurai subgenre, playing out the story of good versus evil a peculiar and introspective level, writes Ed Frost at the BFI London Film Festival.
Rodney Ascher’s ROOM 237 is a lively documentary that gives voice to a variety of remarkable theories that call into question Kubrick’s intentions with THE SHINING, writes Ed Frost at London Film Festival.
With THE HUNT, Thomas Vinterberg has created a masterful film full of emotional nuance and heartbreaking tension, writes Ed Frost at the London Film Festival.
ROBOT AND FRANK is a dutiful shot in the arm to science fiction, calmly addressing a range of prescient topics without flashy aesthetics, writes Ed Frost at the London Film Festival.
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a perfectly pitched drama, that captures much of the adolescent experience without sacrificing a character story, writes Jim Ross
CINEMA SIX is an extremely funny and personal comedy. Although it doesn’t maintain its level all the way, the sharp dialogue is what stands out in this low-key comedy, writes Jim Ross at Raindance.
Closing with the braying of a burro, DONKEYS suggests that people are as stubborn as, well, donkeys. Or at least as stubborn as a small Mexican orphan, writes David Perilli.
Filmed in three prisons in South Africa, Wales and Canada, STRINGCAESAR slams up Roman politics with a bunch of cons. A curate’s egg for David Perilli, who attended the Raindance screening.
A thematically scattergun approach and reliance on a misguided manifesto prove the undoing of this intriguing but, at times, unforgivably tedious film, writes Jim Ross at Raindance Film Festival.
For an ideas-ejaculation THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH comes magnificently sheathed, writes David Perilli of Raoul Martinez and Joshua van Praag’s documentary at the Raindance Film Festival.
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