Mississippi Grind draws from the archetypes of the gambling and the road movie, finding the rough-edged redolence of a gambler’s existence. We follow a pair of gambling tragics – or perhaps addict is the right word – Ben Mendehlson’s world-weary Gerry (like “Lewis”) and Ryan Reynolds’ mouthy Curtis (like “Mayfield”). Each becomes intertwined in the…
Every now and again, I find myself drawn to films not for any particular artistic or narrative merit, but simply because I’m for an evocation of a mood and place. With an extended European holiday on the horizon, Isla Bonita certainly scratches the itch of idle European tranquillity, set pretty well entirely on the –…
You’d be forgiven for thinking that The Duke of Burgundy – a film essentially about a lesbian couple’s experimentations with BDSM – would stray towards the exploitative. But despite the subject matter, writer/director Peter Strickland downplays the erotic aspects of the film to emphasis an abstract evocation of the anxieties inherent in a long-term relationship.…
The Huntsman: Winter’s War traffics pretty well exclusively in clichés. Oh, you can point to Frozen – Emily Blunt’s ice queen, the ‘power of love’ – or Lord of the Rings – there’s a golden circle emblazoned with Elvish runes that drives people to murder and dwarven comic relief (Nick Frost, Sheridan Smith, Rob Brydon)…
Rams’ Icelandic valley is populated by sheep and people, in roughly that order of importance. The separation between the two populaces isn’t particularly distinct, given the prevalence of shaggy white beards and thick wool-knit sweaters. Sheep are integral to the local economy and ecosystem, and especially to ageing farmer Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson), who treats his…
I’m eternally thankful that the title of Jerry Rothwell’s Greenpeace documentary, How to Change the World, is an ironic one. Structured around a series of Greenpeace founder Bob Hunter’s ‘rules’ (from “Plant a Mind Bomb” to “Let the Power Go”), Rothwell is more interested in deconstructing the failures of Greenpeace than lionising its successes (though…
I can’t really complain about the woeful storytelling on display in Dragon Academy’s first episode. The series – set in a medieval-kingdom-slash-high-school where students train dragons – is the kind of slight anime entertainment that I don’t expect much from. So I can forgive the preponderance of “As you know, your father, the king” dialogue…
A Bigger Splash is a distinctly musical film. It’s a music film, too – with Tilda Swinton channelling her versatile Bowie charisma as a world-famous rockstar and Ralph Fiennes exhibiting some irrepressible dance moves as a record producer – but what makes the film sing is how director Luca Guadagnino effortlessly bridges its distinct tones.…
In 2002, the world was introduced to a family that made us laugh, cry and above all, appreciate our own family. My Big Fat Greek Wedding became one of the biggest, most surprising cinematic successes ever – and one of the most profitable. The sequel is packed full of nostalgic references as it reacquaints audiences with the…
Sleeping with Other People is pretty much a hangout sitcom stretched out to 100 minutes. There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s populated with a winning cast of actors/comedians who’ve found success on the small screen – Alison Brie (Community) and Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live) as the central sorta-not-really couple, surrounded by the likes of…
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