LFF in The Midlands: A Review

Since 2010 the London Film Festival (LFF) has been expanding its showings across the country to allow a wider array of film enthusiasts and general audiences to experience new voices and early access to hundreds of films, be they shorts or full-length features. This year was the first I was able to watch just a …

End of Year Review 2021: The 10 Worst Films of the Year

Its been a good long while since I thought about sitting down and writing something and there is a good reason for that. My last piece, a tiny look at Disney's Jungle Cruise was all the way back at the end of August and since then the thought of writing about film, or more specifically …

Micro-Review: Jungle Cruise (2021)

Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson in Jungle Cruise I've had a run of reviews lately that have ragged on Disney synergy and how each of their latest products (I won't say films) has been a way of linking to another of their properties in order to boost something or advertise something else. Be it all …

Micro-Review: The Courier (2021)

Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel Brosnahan and Angus Wright in The Courier Although this Benedict Cumberbatch led period piece is impressive when you consider the true story it tells, it isn't what makes it so excellent. Telling the story of real life amateur spy Greville Wynne (Cumberbatch) and how he was recruited to ferry Russian secrets to …

Micro-Review: Don’t Breathe 2 (2021)

Stephen Lang in Don't Breathe 2 Don't Breathe was a surprising mix of horror and novelty, which turned a home into a death trap and a frail old man into something darker. It was bold and new. Don't Breathe 2 however is not new and in many ways, it isn't bold but there are some …

Micro-Review: Free Guy (2021)

Ryan Reynolds in Free Guy Its fitting that Free Guy, the video game inspired comedy directed by Shawn Levy is set in two very different worlds because it consistently feels like one that belongs to two different studios. Originally developed under the 20th Century Fox banner, Free Guy finished up production after the merger with …

Micro-Review: The Suicide Squad (2021)

Idris Elba in The Suicide Squad James Gunn returns to the wheelhouse of adult rated comedy akin to Super and Slither with The Suicide Squad, the half reboot of the property after David Ayer's 2016 attempt seemingly crashed and burned due to most of all, studio interference. Here Gunn is given free reign to do …

Review: Last Letter From Your Lover (2021) – Stuck on Paper

Shailene Woodley in The Last Letter From Your Lover On paper, where it first started as a novel by Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter From Your Lover seems like ideal romantic escapism. Mediterranean locales, a charming 1960s look and some stellar costume design all seem like the perfect recipe for a solid romantic drama, one …

Micro-Review: Old (2021)

Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps in Old While it is impossible to say that all of M Night Shyamalan's films are the same, it is becoming increasingly frequent that the reviews for his movies all point to the same issues. Be it the inconsistent dialogue, the odd casting choices or, most importantly, the twist …

Micro-Review: Zola (2021)

Riley Keough and Taylour Paige in Zola Despite the acclaim distributor A24 has among the film community for being arbiters of taste, capable of picking unexpected gems of entertainment and making them sparkle at the speciality box office, it is much more noticeable when they unfortunately pick up for lack of a better word, a …