Film festivals can be a little too intellectual sometimes. There is of course space in movies for people giving each other lectures on why capitalism is bad (something that featured in an awful lot of films at Cannes this year). But those movies are rarely a good time, and most …
When Moth was a little girl, she encountered in the woods what her mother called “the winter folk”. Years later, they found her again and offered her a job. Three months’ service for whatever she wished for. For three years, Moth returned to Deerhaven and worked for the winter folk. …
When a genre is ‘alive and kicking’ nobody bothers to look into its roots. But judging by the sheer volume and declining quality of spoof comedies, it’s safe to say this kind of movie is mostly living of its past. You ask any cinephile, and they’ll quickly point to Airplane!, …
Romantic movies told from the male point of view tend to focus on the guy, especially a guy able to recognise something in a woman – beauty, brains, talent – that she didn’t know she had. Through the guy’s actions the woman is able to get what she deserves, which …
Netflix’s Beef, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, was a phenomenon upon its release in 2023. At the time, everyone thought that the show would be nothing more than a limited series. Now in 2026, Beef has taken the anthology route with a brand new eight-episode season. Beef season two …
Travel remains one of life’s luxuries where, for a few hours whilst in the air, passengers are encouraged to switch off from outside distractions and disconnect those online connections. Therefore to be a designated ‘travel companion’ to receive free flights, on standby, is a perk that few are unlikely to …
The prolific filmmaker and theorist Mark Cousins returns to the festival circuit with his 16-part project, The Story of Documentary Film. Recently, he presented the segment 1970s at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a two-halves project that narrates the production of non-fiction in the decade. Firstly, in the …
In A Kiss of Crimson Ash, we bounce between four main characters: Taara, the new queen; Garjan, her new husband; Bhediya, his mistress; and Roland, a thief. Their relationships shape everything that happens in A Kiss of Crimson Ash. The Goddess has chosen them to save the empire; if they fail, all …
For anyone who is, knows, or aspires to be a dad, Finnegan’s Foursome is the perfect movie. The stakes are low, the banter is high, and there’s so much golf that anyone who’s ever fallen asleep in front of Sunday afternoon television will feel right at home. Edward Burns has …
To say there’s not much new in this story of female super-soldiers is kind of reductive, because major action blockbusters centered around a woman are still unusual in Hindi cinema. Fortunately Alia Bhatt is a major Hindi superstar, who has occasionally also worked in English, and who absolutely has the …
In the Stonewater Kingdom, the Omens are the true rulers. There is a king, but of much greater import is the Abbess in Aisling Cathedral and her Diviners who receive portents from the Omens. The interpretation of these portents decides everything that happens in Stonewater, from the spring planting to …
When someone writes, directs and edits their own film, this can be a promising sign of an expert knowing exactly how to deliver the idea they have in their head. It can also be an exercise in the worst kind of self-indulgence, the kind that brooks no feedback and maintains …
Wasteman follows the great British cinema tradition of bringing no-holds barred, gritty stories to life. Cal McMau’s feature debut casts a sceptical eye on the British prison system and questions how effective it realistically is. The drama follows Taylor (David Jonsson) who is mere weeks away from being released on …
Wow, that was close, but they did it. Carl and Donut have made it down to the Hunting Grounds. Not only do they have to contend with the normal mobs and the other crawlers, but now there are hunters, beings from throughout the universe who have paid for the privilege …
Director Jamie Adams has a no-budget niche. He finds a location and maybe six actors, prepares a concept and character arcs, starts the camera rolling, and allows the cast to improvise their way to the aimed-for ending. Within a week. His shooting schedule for his films lasts approximately a week. …
Claire has spent most of her life alone, but all that changed five years ago when she met Elias. Then three years ago they got engaged, and Claire thought she’d finally have a family. But they still haven’t set a date for when Elias suddenly passed away. In one fell …
Dustin Hoffman might not have too many more films in him, but he is winding up his career on a personal high. In Tuner, also released this year, he stole the entire film as the kind and charismatic piano tuner everybody can’t help loving. In The Revisionist he pulls off …
One day Zahara’s twin sister Annica walked out the front door and vanished. Not in the “was kidnapped and never seen again” way but in the “walked right out of existence” way. After Annica left the house on April 16th, 1994, the only person in the world who remembers her …
The title is wrong, but what Deepfake gets right is the sense that, for too many people, life is a performance for the approval of strangers instead of something to please yourself. This movie was clearly made for no money, filmed almost entirely in a single Manhattan apartment, and with …
Amara Jones hates angels. You would too if you’d watched them kill countless humans over the past five years without missing a beat. Demons are just as bad, but at least you expect it out of them; they’re from Hell. But Angels are supposed to be the guardians of humanity. …