REVIEW: Welcome To Marwen

Early January is the time at which studios tend to release two types of films: slow-burn Oscar contenders (see: The Favourite) and misfires they’re looking to quietly bury.

Despite the best attempts of director Robert Zemeckis and star Steve Carrell, Welcome To Marwen would seem to fall into the latter camp; its conceptual oddity outweighing its Walter Mitty-esque appeal, despite its unique based-on-a-true-story credentials.…

Allied, or They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To

Allied is an injection-filled wartime romance in the classic mold that can’t help but feel like a loving but noticeably artificial knock-off.

Maybe its the CG-augmented opening shot of a rolling desert, straight out of Lawrence of Arabia, or the cinematically-significant setting — Casablanca no less, known equally for the city and the film that inspired the name of this very site — that director Robert Zemeckis shoots sweepingly but without particular character.…

A Christmas Carol has plenty of spirit(s) but lacks heart

Christmas, as the saying goes, seems to come earlier every year.

As of my writing this, it is not yet mid November and already, en route to the cinema, the Staines council is decorating for the festive season. Also, for reasons unbeknownst to me, now is the time at which the powers that be have chosen to release the newest version of Charles Dickens’ beloved yuletide classic.

Flight is a film trip well worth the making

 

Robert Zemeckis’ Flight is the most character-driven film of this year’s Academy Award contenders, which is impressive given the broad and eclectic range of performances on display.

Spielberg’s Lincoln is just as much about slavery and the passing of the 13th Amendment as it is the title character, though Daniel Day Lewis brings much-needed subtlety to the role in a film that might otherwise seem overly celebratory given the issues on display.