Thirty Seconds To Mars are an acclaimed Californian rock band who, despite topping album charts around the world, have made virtually nothing from the sales of their music. It’s a familiar tale; the way major record labels exploit musical acts, who eventually find themselves in court trying to recoup their earnings. But, Thirty Seconds To […] Read more »
Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is a soon-to-be-divorced advertising executive. The highlight of his week is when he gets to pick up his middle school daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) from school. One afternoon, the school is an uproar after a particularly graphic sex education class and in an attempt to calm his daughter, Will tells the […] Read more »
Juliet Binoche gives a truly remarkable in this otherwise forgettable, flat and superficial film. Binoche plays Anne, an investigative journalist, who is writing a piece on female university students who support themselves by working as prostitutes. Binoche is captivating in her portrayal of Anne and Anaïs Demoustier has some excellent moments as one of the […] Read more »
Steve McQueen and Paul Newman lead an all-star cast in this epic action-disaster film from 1974, which cane audience expectations in this genre and has influenced countless films ever since. You can read Fernando’s full review here. Read more »
B.A. Pass is a bleak, noir-ish and sexually charged parable of life in contemporary Delhi. Shadab Kamal plays Mukesh, a first year college student who, after the sudden death of his parents is sent to live under the reluctant care of his aunt and uncle. There he meets the wealthy and fashionable Sarika (Shilpa Shukla) […] Read more »
Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) an acclaimed concert cellist who, by chance, meets the lead singer of a rock band, Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) at a party in New York City. They spend a night together and the next morning promise to reunite at a nearby square. But, Lyla’s controlling father and manager, Thomas (William […] Read more »
Jack Black plays the semi talented guitarist Dewey Finn in this light-hearted 2003 comedy. Largely reprising his performance as Barry, the socially dysfunctional rock music obsessive from High Fidelity, Black is at his best as Finn, dumped from his band, fakes being a teacher and leads a group of unsuspecting students (including Miranda Cosgrove from […] Read more »
As the TV comedy Portlandia so eloquently quipped, “the dream of the 1890s is alive,” and not just in Portland it seems. Meat Hooked traces the rise of butchery, or perhaps we might call it neo-butchery, as a hip artisanal industry. After years of declining interest in small, local butcheries, with consumers ever more reliant […] Read more »
Screened as part of Toho Cinema’s ongoing 10am series of classic films, The Day Of The Jackal (1973) is an adaption of Frederick Forsyth’s acclaimed novel. Set in 1963, the story traces a fictional attempt to kill the former president of France, Charles de Gaulle. de Gaulle had made enemies over the independence of Algeria […] Read more »
Originally marketed under the name Malavita, The Family sees Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer as the parents of the Manzoni family, hiding in France under assumed names (Blake being the latest), under the watchful eye of Tommy Lee Jones and the FBI witness protection programme. One assumes The Family is meant to be a […] Read more »
Having recently seen The Godfather on the big screen I was thankful for the chance to see the extraordinary second part of this story in the cinema as well. It’s often said The Godfather Part II is an example of a film where the sequel was better than the original but, the story is a […] Read more »
The Institute is a surprising, truth is stranger than fiction documentary about what appears to be a new, unknown Californian cult. Told in an elliptical style, with layer after layer of truth and myth revealed through recreations, interviews and real life moments, The Institute is an entertaining and intriguing experience. Read more »
Let’s assume you are in your 30s or 40s, into what we now call “tech,” though you are old enough to remember when the same thing was called “computers” and although you are feeling “older,” you certainly don’t think of yourself as “old.” If that sounds familiar, then there’s a pretty good chance you will […] Read more »
A true classic and widely regarded as one of the best films of all time, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is a true masterpiece. Seeing the film on the big screen, in a 4k digital restoration, I was reminded of The Godfather’s operatic scope. From the immersive opening act, which occurs in and around a […] Read more »
There’s been a trend, in recent years, to play the Zombie Apocalypse for laughs. While Shaun Of The Dead and Go Goa Gone do this well, the pick of the bunch, for me, is this smart and original 2009 comedy Zombieland, directed by Ruben Fleischer. Originally conceived as a TV Show, Zombieland was Fleischer’s first […] Read more »
Winner of the Japanese Cinema Splash Best Picture Award at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival, Forma is a dark, troubling and memorable film. Perhaps too long and slow in the first hour for some filmgoers, this really is an extraordinary film from a new director, Ayumi Sakamoto. A challenging, but ultimately rewarding film experience. […] Read more »
Two stunning lead performances, from Matt Damon and Michael Douglas are at the heart of this surprising and compelling dramatic biopic. Shown as a special screening at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival, this is Steven Soderbergh’s final feature film. You can read Fernando’s full review here. Read more »
Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring was a special screening at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival. A bleak and acerbic look at today’s celebrity obsessed youth culture, The Bling Ring might just be the most misunderstood and underrated film of the year. Expect massive critical re-evaluation some time around 2026. You can read Fernando’s full […] Read more »
A welcome reminder of how good a big Hollywood film can be, Captain Phillips was the opening film of the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival. Expertly crafted in every way, with a brilliant performance from Tom Hanks, this is sure to go down as one of the best films of the year and be a […] Read more »
Wang Jingchun picked up the award for best actor at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival for his portrayal of an incorruptible Chinese police officer Hao Wanzhong. Sadly, apart from female lead Chen Weihan’s performance and occasional moments of cinematic brilliance, there is not a lot to enjoy in this film. The telling of Wanzhong’s […] Read more »