Winchester has that “based on actual events” klaxon at the start. This usually means they will play fast and loose with facts, but while there is a good deal of artistic licence in this movie, it perhaps suffers from being too bound to the truth. It relates the account of… Continue reading
This coming of age drama from British director Andrew Haigh offers an insight into the world of low budget horse racing in America’s north west. It focuses on 15 year old Charley Thompson, living with his father, who scratches a living, moving around and indulging in his favourite past time… Continue reading
Sean Baker’s follow up to Tangerine similarly explores the life of people on the periphery of American society. This parallel world is given a dual representation, as it focuses on the summer o 6 year old Moonee and her friends, while being on the literal periphery of the idealised representation… Continue reading
There are some aspects of Del Toro’s monster love story that are nigh on perfect. At the top of this list is Michael Shannon’s portrayal of the malicious, deranged authoritarian Strickland who so easily could have been a two dimensional character. He adds the kind of depth and friction that… Continue reading
Lady Bird is a gestalt film, in that it is greater than the sum of its parts. There is no stand out scene, moment of high drama, showy camera work or pivotal set piece, but at the end of it you find yourself missing its overall tone as if a… Continue reading
White liberal America’s holy trinity of Spielberg, Hanks and Streep combine in this account of the Washington Post’s stand against Nixon over publication of Vietnam documentation. On the week after Trump’s election Hanks said on British radio that America tends to take two steps forward and one back. This is… Continue reading
Aaron Sorkin’s account of the extraordinary story of Molly Bloom, Olympic skier who goes on to run the biggest poker games in the US and becomes vicariously involved in Russian money laundering, is predictably sharp, witty and cool. This is Chastain’s movie through and through, in that it’s hard to… Continue reading
Martin McDonagh’s much praised take on small town Americana conflict commences with shots of the eponymous, dilapidated billboards in mist set to operatic aria. There’s enough pathos in that scene and & McDormand’s drawn features to justify the ticket price. McDormand plays Mildred Hayes, the grieving, angry mother of daughter… Continue reading
We all have our critical blindspots. Some people like films about flying men and people who dress up in bat outfits. I have one for Agatha Christie adaptations. They nearly always disappoint, because Christie novels have been designed with one instantiation in mind – reading them on a rainy afternoon… Continue reading
Like Andrea Arnold’s previous film, the excellent Fish Tank, American Honey centres on the life of a poor, white girl. Her depictions are electrified by authenticity, there is no attempt to create the noble poor, nor to make them victims. Their lives may be grim, but the characters in her… Continue reading
