Senna (2011) Documentary charting the rise and tragic demise of Ayrton Senna, Brazilian Formula 1 racing superstar and "the best driver who ever lived". Rating: MMMM Director: Asif Kapadia Starring: Ayrton Senna,...
Whip It (2010) Coming of age sports movie Whip It is the directorial debut of actress turned producer Drew Barrymore. Rating: MMMM Director: Drew Barrymore Starring: Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden,...
Invictus (2010) Rating: MMMMM Clint Eastwood’s latest film, Invictus tells the story of the true events that followed the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa, and Mandela’s subsequent...
Avatar (2009) Rating: MM Review of James Cameron's uber-blockbuster and long anticipated space adventure epic, Avatar. Director: James Cameron Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Zoe Saldana,...
Me & Orson Welles (2009) Rating: MMMM Review of Richard Linklater's 1930s set period piece about the great Orson Welles' theatrical triumph - his version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Director: Richard Linklater Starring:...
In celebration (or not, as the case may be) of the new 2009 remake of the 1980s classic Fame on general release last Friday, it seems fitting to take a look at my top 7 films of the ‘musicals’ genre. A perennial opinion divider, musicals seem to be an acquired taste that repel as many people as they attract.
Rating: MMM+
Review of Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos), starring his current screen muse Penélope Cruz.
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Lluis Homar, Blanca Portillo, Tamar Noves, José Luis Gómez
Running time: 127 mins
Sometimes I find (and not surprisingly in light of the vacuous drivel that seems to be churned out of Hollywood at the moment) that some of the greatest films around are ones that are found in the ‘international cinema’ genre, if you can call it a genre – more a neat category for films not in English to sit snugly in.
Rating: MMMM
Review of Adventureland, which follows young James Brennan one summer in the mid 1980s as he takes up a crappy summer job at the local down-and-out theme park.
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, Ryan Reynolds
Running time: 107 mins
Rating: MMMM
Review of sunny, seasonal romantic-comedy, (500) Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (‘3rd Rock From The Sun’) and Zooey Deschanel.
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Clark Gregg
Running time: 95 mins
Rating: MMMM
Review of Coco Avant Chanel, biopic of French fashion designer and style icon,
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou and Alessandro Nivola. French with English subtitles.
Director: Anne Fontaine
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Alessandro Nivola, Benoit Poelvoorde, Marie Gillain
Running time: 105 mins
Currently finishing airing on BBC2 is HBO’s ‘reconstruction’ of the cop show, ‘The Wire’ (2002-2008), which for me has set a new standard in television drama. Not since ‘The West Wing’ have we seen such a rich and frankly rewarding series.