The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN conducts a lot of charm, and the affecting performance of Cumberbatch reduces resistance to the film’s more twee elements in the opening stretch.
Category Archives: Reviews
Atabai
Someone is told at one point in ATABAI that “sadness is good for poets” – Niki Karimi’s film is full of sadness but has many skilled poets both in front of and behind the camera.
France
Held together by Seydoux’s graceful and subtle performance, Bruno Dumont’s FRANCE slips between France’s confidence and doubt, often within the same scene, letting these conflicts linger.
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG is set in the vast open plains of the American West in the 1920s, but its psychological atmosphere is claustrophobic in many ways. The suffocating presence of a hostile relative, the stifling effect of suppressed desire, and overbearing masculinity are all brought to bear on the characters.
Petite Maman
With captivating central performances from two talented young actors and a crisp autumnal palate, PETITE MAMAN develops a deep emotional resonance that stays with you much longer than its 72-minute runtime.
The Souvenir: Part II
THE SOUVENIR: PART II continues Joanna Hogg’s semi-autobiographical journey of a young woman at film school in England. This new entry develops on the first film’s themes to capture the essence of both artistic escape and being young in an England of repressed emotions.
Spencer
SPENCER works on a surface level as a characterisation of a woman yearning to tarnish her gilded cage. However, its more lasting impact comes from its use as a microcosm to show the damaging broader character of a society that encourages – and enforces – being proper and not making a fuss above all else.
The Last Duel
Dodgy haircuts and questionable accents aren’t enough to dilute the compelling plot of Ridley Scott’s historical epic, THE LAST DUEL, where one woman’s accusation of rape is detailed in a RASHOMON-style structure of passion and deceit.
Eternals
ETERNALS is an odd blend, featuring segments of unusual natural beauty and humanity for a comic book blockbuster. Still, this tonal change is stymied by the need to stick mostly by the formula of its franchise brethren, and the film feels very inhibited as a result of its lack of boldness.
Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest
CANNON ARM AND THE ARCADE QUEST manages to beautifully demonstrate the value of friends and community in helping someone overcome grief and achieve their ambitions in the face of long odds.