Category Archives: Reviews

American Utopia

There will be much debate as to what this film is – if it is a film at all. But what can be deduced from the experience is that utopia is far from our grasp, and our understanding of what utopia is, is far from universal. Steph Brown reviews.

iHuman

IHUMAN won’t be new for anyone who’s kept up to date with any of the other numerous documentaries on data mining and surveillance but it’s nifty in tying everything together and offers a sense of understanding, albeit one we may wish we never had. April McIntyre reviews.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

George C. Wolfe’s adaptation of the August Wilson play is a demonstration of captivating and powerful acting. Although it never seems to flourish visually, the chamber-piece story and powerful performance of the late Chadwick Boseman and the supporting ensemble carry it far.

Mank

MANK may become more of a cinematic curio in Fincher’s filmography but it has enough bite and edge here to give the film some degree of insight beyond the origin of one of cinema’s most significant works.

The Nest

Sean Durkin’s first feature film since MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE – one of the best debuts of the previous decade – is a parable of the pursuit of prosperity begetting toxicity. Durkin’s characters and story show the descent of a family unit and place of shelter into a nest of vipers. The film begins in … Continue reading The Nest

The Year of the Discovery

THE YEAR OF THE DISCOVERY takes some dedication from the viewer due to its length, which perhaps would be better experienced in a theatre for full effect, but its runtime ultimately feels necessary to give space to the almost endless articulations of how the micro of individual life relates to the macro of world-political-economy. We are here now after the discovery, but it doesn’t mean we understand what we’ve found.