Written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives), The Neon Demon is an incredibly visually striking film that tries to dig deep at the fashion world, but unravels in its second half, becoming grotesquely cartoonish. Jesse (Elle Fanning) is an aspiring young model that moves to LA in the hopes of making […]
Sweet Bean [An], directed by acclaimed Japanese director Naomi Kawase (The Mourning Forest, Still the Water) is a sweet and beautiful small-town drama about a struggling food vendor whose small shop becomes incredibly popular when an elderly woman shares her sweet red bean paste recipe with him. Sentaro (Masatoshi Nagase) grudgingly runs a small dorayaki […]
Almost Holy documents the story of Gennadiy Mokhnenko, a Ukrainian pastor saving children from the streets of Mariupol. Steve Hoover draws us in and shines light on a situation too long left in the dark. Like in his 2013 documentary Blood Brother, Hoover does not shy away from the horrors he presents, but neither does […]
The Legend of Tarzan, directed by David Yates is overly formulaic and has a lot of flaws, but it’s still a passable action-adventure propped up by a good cast and likable characters. John Clayton (Alexander Skarsgård), after being raised by an ape in Africa and becoming known under the name Tarzan, has returned to London […]
Queen of Earth is a psychological drama that sees indie director Alex Ross Perry and actress Elisabeth Moss reunite after their collaboration on Listen Up Philip. It is a movie that has been praised by critics, having a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but audiences have been much more divided about, mustering a 6.5 on […]
Reckless (released under the title Zipper in 2015), written and directed by Mora Stephens is a drama about infidelity that’s bolstered by strong performances, particularly a committed Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2), but ultimately falls short because of its lackluster resolution. Sam Ellis (Wilson) is an opportunistic prosecutor with a bright future ahead […]
The Purge: Election Year is the third entry in The Purge franchise. The films build on the concept that there is one day a year where all crime is legal, including murder. The second entry, The Purge: Anarchy, introduces the now titular character of Leo Barnes (perfectly cast Frank Grillo) and we get to witness […]
Strangerland, directed by Kim Farant and written by Michael Kinirons and Fiona Seres, is well-acted drama with some truly standout moments that never really works as well as it should considering the talent involved. The movie is set in a small town in the rural outback of Australia and focuses on a family of four […]
This review must be prefaced with one thing: Central Intelligence is a completely ridiculous film. If you’re not a fan of Kevin Hart’s style of humour or Dwayne Johnson’s glistening muscles, you probably don’t have a soul, and also this film probably isn’t for you. If you are a fan, however, you’re in for a […]
Maggie’s Plan is centred on artificial insemination, affairs of the heart and bizarre parenting techniques that are wrapped up in a romantic comedy. Maggie (Greta Gerwig) likes control over all aspects of her life and she has a specific plan for her future. She has decided that she wants a baby, but does not want the responsibility of a […]
