Stories We Tell is a minor miracle of documentary film-making

 

“Why would anyone care about our family?”

In the case of a family other than filmmaker Sarah Polley’s that might well be a valid concern. Polley’s relatives, however, are such an engaging, lively, immensely likeable bunch that it’s a pleasure spending time in their company.…

The East is a timely thriller well worth heading to the cinema for

 

Has there ever been a better-timed tagline than the one for The East: “Spy on us, we’ll spy on you.”

With the NSA scandal over warrantless surveillance still playing out in the US, a lot of people are pretty pissed with the government intelligence agency and the corporations that aided them.

This Is The End takes refuge in audacity, not entirely successfully


 

The most expensive comedy of all time, Evan Almighty, sequel to Bruce Almighty, also happens to be an enormous flop.

When it comes to making people laugh throwing money at the screen rarely seems to have the desired effect.…

The long-awaited World War Z is, surprisingly, not a shambling mess

 

It’s the end of the world as we know it. At least for the film industry.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas recently gave a talk at the USC School of Cinematic Arts where they discussed what they think’s in store for the future of the medium.…

Before Midnight is a flawless deliberation on what happens when romantic love becomes real work

 

As I commented in my recent review of Stuck In Love, I’m not what you would call a fan of romantic movies.

Regardless of the suffix (romcom, romdram, rom sci-fi), the tropes of filmic love – eyes meeting across a crowded room, the initial dislike, the banter, repartee, the eventual kiss – do nothing for me.…

Summer in February is rainy afternoon of a film

If there’s one thing the British film industry has over our brasher, better-financed American cousins, it’s our monopoly over the formal period drama.

Summer in February is a fictionalized account of the documented love triangle between aspiring artist Florence Carter-Wood (Emily Browning), land agent Captain Gilbert Evans (Dan Stevens) and rural painter AJ Munnings (Dominic Cooper).

Though it flirts with darkness, Man of Steel walks in the sun

 

It’s safe to say we live in a Golden Age of superhero films, and, as with all renaissances, there comes with this a certain pressure, a certain set of standards.

Nowadays a superhero film has to be about more than simply believing a man can fly: we need to believe in them as human beings.…

Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is Shakespeare everyone can get excited about

 

Say what you want about old Bill Shakespeare, but he was certainly brave with his titles.

No contemporary writer would give their play a title that so openly embraced it being a farce, a comedic situation in which a great deal is made of very little.…

Stuck in Love is a romcom-dram-thing that’s well worth a look

Before I start this review, I’ll provide a disclaimer: I don’t usually watch romantic films.

It’s not like a badge of pride with me or anything, but it’s just not a plot feature I’m particularly interested in paying to see (and in this case, I didn’t).

Stone Roses: Made of Stone is an edifice in need of a purpose

“A clear horizon — nothing to worry about on your plate, only things that are creative and not destructive…

I can’t bear quarreling, I can’t bear feelings between people — I think hatred is wasted energy, and it’s all non-productive. I’m very sensitive — a sharp word, said by a person, say, who has a temper, if they’re close to me, hurts me for days.