Primavera
Visually dynamic and elegantly crafted, Damiano Michieletto’s PRIMAVERA is a compelling study of repression, suffering and earnest rebellion.
Category Archives: Reviews
To Dance is to Resist
Director Julian Lautenbacher [shows] bravery in choosing queer identity and dance as his documentary’s expression of resistance to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Wizard of the Kremlin
A dose of Polonium-210 already begins to feel inviting a mere half hour into the prolonged 136-minute runtime of THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN.
Wasteman
Even though WASTEMAN’s brutal narrative isn’t anything novel, it possesses a freshness courtesy of McMau’s first time behind the camera, added to the debut screenplay from newcomers Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran.
Departures
Even if DEPARTURES leans heavily on its influences before it establishes what it wants to say, there are enough novel angles and flourishes that its bolshy Mancunian voice is clearly heard and worth listening to.
The Drama
THE DRAMA renders philosophical thought experiments as tangible personal relationships. The film is both fiendishly juvenile and thought-provoking, with Kristoffer Borgli’s black comedy approach harmonising these two qualities.
The Bride!
The story of Shelley’s Frankenstein is, in part, about unchecked ambition and “filthy creation”. In pursuing greatness for himself, Victor brought misery upon a creature of which he lost control. Maybe THE BRIDE! is a good adaptation of her work in spirit, if not in practice.
Project Hail Mary
PROJECT HAIL MARY remains emotionally simple (sometimes stubbornly so), but few films can offer as many shining moments.
California Schemin’
CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN’ has hints of greatness throughout its script but ultimately lands as a safe debut for James McAvoy that doesn’t dare to tread very far outside the formula for music biopic cinema.
The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford
THE FALL OF SIR DOUGLAS WEATHERFORD is the story of a tour guide in a small Borders town, driven mad by the intrusion of a television crew filming a prestige fantasy series, balancing a light comedy tone with unexpected poignancy, even if some of its more impactful ideas are underdeveloped.