6 years ago
Vale John Hurt (1940-2017)
He always seemed to be dying, at least in his recent roles. And now that John Hurt really has left us (January 27, aged 77), it feels very personal. Some …
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6 years ago
My top ten films of 2016
Another year, another top ten.
As ever, a spotty list, in the sense that nothing unifies them except that I loved them. Partly for the beauty, partly for the courage …
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6 years ago
Vale Debbie Reynolds, Vale Carrie Fisher
The deaths of a Hollywood mother and daughter – legends both in different ways – just hours apart is a raw reminder of how Hollywood has changed.
Debbie Reynolds lived …
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6 years ago
It’s Christmas Theo – it’s the time of miracles, so be of good cheer…
In the spirit of the times, I’ve been looking at Christmas clips and songs on Youtube. What an awesome gift that site is. Yes, the ads are annoying but they pay for …
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7 years ago
Vale Curtis Hanson
Sad news today that Curtis Hanson has died, aged 71. He was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon – some reports said a heart …
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Recent Reviews
Bad people doing bad things
Detour
Written and directed by Christopher Smith
97 minutes, rated MA 15+
3 stars
There’s no such thing as originality, but that doesn’t mean you stop aiming for it. Detour …
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An elegy for Emily D.
A Quiet Passion
Written and directed by Terence Davies
125 minutes, rated PG
4 stars
When one artist makes a film about another artist, you can be reasonably sure that …
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Kartoonish Korean ultra-violence
The Villainess
Directed by Jung Byung-gil
Written by Jung Byeong-sik and Jung Byung-gil
122 minutes, rated R
3.5 stars
The Villainess is a high-octane Korean thriller about a young woman …
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Fascinating half-true story
Monsieur Chocolat
Directed by Roschdy Zem
Written by Cyril Gely, Olivier Gorce, Gerard Noiriel and Roschdy Zem
114 minutes, rated M
4 stars
This is the fascinating true story of …
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Black and white and red
Get Out
Written and directed by Jordan Peele
104 minutes, rated MA 15+
4 stars
A guide to African–American horror films would be a slim volume. There are black people …
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Fine and brave
Don’t Tell
Directed by Tori Garrett
Written by Anne Brooksbank, Ursula Cleary, James Greville, based on a book by Stephen Roche
108 minutes, rated M
4 stars
Child abuse. …
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Gurinder’s personal Partition
Viceroy’s House
Directed by Gurinder Chadha
Written by Paul Mayeda Berges, Moira Buffini and Gurinder Chadha
106 minutes, rated PG
3 stars
Where to begin with this fascinating, infuriating, entertaining …
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Pablo Neruda as fantasy
Neruda
Directed by Pablo Larrain
Written by Guillermo Calderon
Rated MA 15+, 108 minutes
4 stars
A chubby man with a comb-over (Luis Gnecco) sits bare-chested in front of a …
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