Category Archive: FILM
Barbarian (2022)
(Director – not to be mentioned. He is not to be encouraged.) [Zach Cregger directed, his first, possibly last, effort, although the film made good money apparently – Facts matter- ED.] “Barbarian” is not rateable on the “Babadook Scale“. It’s not that sort of horror movie. It’s the sort on which even fewer pesky script meetings are wasted. You can determine whether you have seen this film by casting yourself in the lead role and answering the following questions. You are a young woman who arrives in the rainy dead of night to find that your B & B is…
Continue Reading →Vale Donald
Donald Sutherland (17 July 1935 to 20 June 2024) No, they haven’t assassinated Donald Trump, yet. Rather, we honour today the passing of a Donald on the other end of the political spectrum, (if that device still applies). He was sui generis – not handsome, but suited to starring roles, not a ‘character actor’, but he enlivened many otherwise humdrum films with superb vignettes. As to the latter, think of his smiling treacherous Irishman in The Eagle Has Landed (1976), his spooky firebug in Backdraft (1991), his perfect playing as Mr. X in JFK (1991), the smiling-assassin Big-Boss in Disclosure…
Continue Reading →Challengers
Dir. Luca Guadagnino (2024) Our fabulous Guest Reviewer, Rita, gives us her thoughts on “Challengers”. Thank you, Rita, we didn’t get to see it, all we know about it is that there’s a lot of tennis, so we thank you for your input. NB We know Rita well and she is anything but shallow! See also Rita’s equally pithy review of “Fremont“. The three main characters are awful people in my view but my mind became addled and distracted by the overwhelming physical gorgeousness of Tashi (played effectively by Zendaya). Thus, I have exposed my shallow nature, but I would…
Continue Reading →Fremont
Directed by Babak Jalali (2023) Our insightful Guest Reviewer, Rita, gives us her thoughts on “Fremont”. Rita exhorted us to see it and we are really sorry that we missed it, because Rita knows what is what. So thank you Rita. Please send us more reviews of the weird and the wonderful. See also Rita’s equally succinct review of “Challengers“. I am really interested in your critique(s) on this film. I was gripped by this strange but engaging little gem. Loved the odd beauty of the following. She said, “I brought you a deer.” He replied, “I wanted a deer.” …
Continue Reading →All of Us Strangers (2024)
(Director Andrew Haigh) Adam (Bill Paxton look-alike Andrew Scott) is a desolate would-be writer, living alone. After a fire alarm in his London tower block he meets Harry (Paul Mescal) who is, strangely, the only other inhabitant of the building. Harry wants to party the night away, but Adam sends him home. Soon after this, for reasons which are not clear, Adam goes to a park near his childhood home (set in the house in which director Haigh was raised) and meets his father, apparently by chance. Adam starts to spend time with his parents whom he hasn’t seen since…
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