Review by Aaron Gorman Films based on true events possess a hard-to-capture emotional resonance. When placed against a winter palette that suppresses any promise of colour, it’s easy to spot the ‘real’ people on screen starving during the Holodomor, Stalin’s genocidal famine of 1932-33. Polish director Agnieszka Holland would have no doubt felt a responsibilityContinue reading “Mr. Jones”
Category Archives: Reviews
Parasite
Review by Andrew Connolly Far more attention should have been paid to Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s speech after being awarded the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. He challenged filmgoers to accept subtitles as a way to explore non-English cinema. Parasite is an incredible argument for why we should do so. Bong’s third foray intoContinue reading “Parasite”
The Two Popes
Review by Conal Scullion The Pope is a unique figure in the political world: elected in an undemocratic vote by fellow Cardinals, they are both a President and a King, while also embodying the spirit of the Catholic Church. The Two Popes is a spiritual yet political film, displaying the struggles of both Benedict XVI,Continue reading “The Two Popes”
Honey Boy
Review by Barry Murphy Shia LaBeouf has seemingly forever lived his life at a hurtling pace. Even in some of his less acclaimed turns in Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, his darting eyes always seemed to be teetering on the edge of an emotional outburst. His visceral physical outputContinue reading “Honey Boy”
Queen & Slim
Review by Sophie Furlong Tighe Queen & Slim opens on a familiar but incredibly modern scene: two people on a tinder date. It’s awkward and stilted like many first interactions. Immediately we see the difference between the two characters; Queen (Jodie-Turner Smith) feeling uncomfortable in the dingy diner Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) takes her to, SlimContinue reading “Queen & Slim”
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Review by James McCleary To call Disney’s Star Wars revival a mixed bag would be an understatement. Their big debut, The Force Awakens, was a safe and secure soft reboot which was generally liked but not loved by audiences, while The Last Jedi was either the first worthy sequel to the original trilogy or anContinue reading “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
Long Day’s Journey into Night
Review by Christopher Kestell Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (no relation to the play of the same name by Eugene O’Neill) stars Huang Jue and Tang Wei and is easily one of the most unforgettable cinematic experiences you will ever have, whether you enjoy it or not. Ostensibly the story of a manContinue reading “Long Day’s Journey into Night”
Jojo Rabbit
Review by Luke Bradley If trailers hadn’t given the game away, Jojo Rabbit’s opening sequence, accompanied by a German dub of The Beatles’ ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, would wisely sets the tone for the film ahead. Taiki Waititi, the mastermind behind Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, has made a film aboutContinue reading “Jojo Rabbit”
1917
Review by Eoin O’Donnell With 1917, Sam Mendes has created what might just be the most frighteningly real time capsule into war ever put to screen, and somehow still delivered a satisfying and moving narrative. The First World War has long been untapped potential for modern filmmaking, but now it seems that purpose has beenContinue reading “1917”
Marriage Story
Review by Johannes Black Listening to his father’s fifteenth studio-album, Blood on the Tracks (1975), Jackob Dylan (the estranged child of Bob and Sara) recognised it as “my parents talking”: a conversation in lyrics between two people once so familiar. His remark is, of course, belated, having only properly understood their divorce with the hindsightContinue reading “Marriage Story”
