And now, man without fear, he must face the final curtain: except of course it isn’t. Like James Bond (RIP), Reacher will return. The zeitgeist can be guessed at and striven for, but it cannot be faked and it cannot be bought, because the audience never knows what truly speaks …
After strike-induced delays, the second series of Andor arrives on 22 April 2025, almost two and a half years after the first series first appeared on Disney+. This time, it will deliver its twelve episodes over a might-tighter release window (twelve episodes over four weeks rather than ten). Revisiting Andor’s …
Ryan Coogler knew just what audiences were missing and delivered a euphoric cinematic experience as he has answered our prayer for original filmmaking with the spectacular whirlwind known as Sinners. Taking us on a dance with one or more devils and a journey through 1930s Southern US history with a …
Black Mirror, the hit dystopian anthology series, recently went into its seventh outing. Starting out humbly on Channel 4 in the UK, created by dead-pan funny guy Charlie Brooker, the show went onto new heights after he sold it to Netflix. The Americanisation of the show hasn’t landed well with …
Zeitgeisty trends combine in Peacock: how it mocks the vapid wealthy with lives so comfortable they must manufacture problems for themselves is clearly inspired by the work of Ruben Östlund. The problem is that social satire works best with a strong opinion about the behaviour being mocked. Are you teasing …
When asked to define the word eephus, many may just give up. The word sounds almost made-up if you do not come from the world of baseball. If you are a fan of the great American pastime, however, an eephus is a known quantity. It is the name for a …
I consider James Hawes’ feature directorial debut, One Life, one of the most memorable films of its release year. Based on the director alone, expectations for his sophomore effort were already high. Add to that The Amateur being a spy thriller starring Rami Malek – whose career-best performance remains his …
Directed by Patricia Riggen (Miracles from Heaven) and written by Caitlin Parrish & Erica Weiss (The View from Tall) and Noah Miller & Logan Miller (White Boy Rick), G20 follows U.S. President Danielle Sutton (Viola Davis) as she tries to prevent a terrorist attack during a G20 summit. When a …
Outer Town Festival is the prelude to Ritual Union; instead of airing in the city centre at Bristol it takes place in the surrounding venues in collaboration with indie festivals overseas like the Netherlands’ famous Left of the Dial. Taking place across multiple stages as every bit as iconic as …
One of the best films ever made is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. It had a lot of comedic elements throughout, and it balanced comedy with bits of humanity. The 1987 film features a bitter man who becomes worn down emotionally by an incessantly friendly traveler. As the movie unfolds, the …
The only flaw in the magnificent The Return is that, by virtue of the casting, the audience is able to predict the plot before the characters can. This is however an extremely small complaint in the grand scheme of an unusually subtle and thoughtful war movie. For one thing, it’s …
I’ve mentioned this countless times throughout my years of film criticism: not every movie needs to be narratively and thematically profound, impacting audiences so deeply with philosophical messages that their lives are forever changed. Cinema is, among many things, entertainment. So, it’s no surprise when films like Freaky Tales emerge, …
Throughout season 2, Severance has consistently been the most streamed show on Apple TV+, even outpacing Ted Lasso. No doubt the finale, Cold Harbor, will be one of the most streamed episodes of the season as Ben Stiller brings this season to its compelling conclusion. Throughout Season 2, there has been a push …
Karan Kandhari’s Sister Midnight seems, upon its opening, to be a quotidian domestic drama. Uma (Radhika Apte) has one key problem taking over her life: she and her new husband, Gobal (Ashok Parthak), are not at all compatible. Those who arranged their marriage failed to account for fundamental differences in …
Director Erico Rassi has become one of the most fascinating voices of the newest Brazilian cinema. He combines the classical codes of the Western genre and gives them another significance. In his debut feature, the 2016 Comeback, he narrates the story of a man who lost the magnificence of his …
In 1970, Judy Blume’s eponymous novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was published. The book, a grounded curtail pull on teenage sexuality, was met with indignation by certain literary factions of the USA, going as far as banning the book in certain states over its discussion of menstruation …
This year’s Slamdance Festival featured a film that perfectly blended the horror and humor genres and gave viewers a unique film to cherish on. Yes, we are talking about Woody Bess’ Portal To Hell. This film twists the age-old Faustian bargain into something fresh, unsettling, and deeply thought-provoking. The movie …
Media like James Bond and Mission Impossible deliver a sleek, action-packed adventure in the spy genre. However, what many would consider the best spy material does things differently. Instead, more thought-provoking spy-fare focuses on the process and tradecraft. Films like Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, and A Most Wanted Man are …
Society’s infatuation with social media has grown and evolved over the years. What started with sites connecting long-distance/old friends (looking at you, Facebook) has morphed into something else. The culture constantly compares itself, making it hard for the younger generation to grow without feeling bad about themselves. Such a methodology …
Cinema represents reality by allowing us to imagine ourselves in situations that may seem far from our daily existence. In her directorial debut, Mexican director Urzula Barba Hopfner envisions the life of Corina (Naian González Norvind), an agoraphobic woman. She has an anxiety disorder that affects her when she is …