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 …

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: 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 …

Micro-Review: Honest Thief (2021) – A Victimless Crime?

Liam Neeson in Honest Thief Since the release of Taken, Liam Neeson's career trajectory dramatically changed and ever since he has been the unlikely action hero we all wanted, or at least that is what Hollywood want us to believe. The truth is less than half the time Neeson lands one of these predictable thrillers …

Review: Sound of Metal (2021) – Addicted to Sound

Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal I don't know how many times I've heard someone talk about needing some silence, just to get away and embrace the quiet. It seems to be this idea of Nirvana to people who think they truly understand the value of the noise they take for granted. Sound of Metal, …

Review: Promising Young Woman (2021) – A Toxic System

Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman Cassie Thomas (Carey Mulligan) works in a coffee shop, but she hates it. She is in her 30s and lives with her parents (Jennifer Coolidge and Clancy Brown), who hate it. Once a promising med school student, Cassie spends her nights prowling bars, pretending to be hammered, unable to …

Review: One Night in Miami (2021) – Remember That Night?

Leslie Odom Jr, Eli Goree, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Aldis Hodge in One Night In Miami One Night in Miami, an adaptation of the stage play of the same name, the debut feature from director/actress Regina King is the answer to a long asked question but it is also a discussion of the future from four …

Review: Externo (2021) – What Is Right?

Leandro Taub in Externo When describing Externo, the debut film from Leandro and Jonathan Taub, its easy to banish it to realms of fantasy by merely calling it a stunning fever dream. That wouldn't do this modern parable justice as it looks to the larger landscape of the world by letting us behind the curtain …

Review-Lite: Life in A Year (2021)

Jaden Smith and Cara Delevingne in Life In A Year Its been close to eight years since Jaden Smith's last attempt at taking on a leading role in a feature but since then he has matured with time and a major role in Baz Luhrmann's Netflix drama The Get Down. Life In A Year, originally …

Review: I Care A Lot (2021) – Going Down With The Showboat

Rosamund Pike in I Care A Lot Early on in J Blakeson's I Care A Lot there is a moment of acknowledgement, where in voiceover Marla (Rosamund Pike) tells the audience that being good and adhering to societies rules is weak. It's a hot take that's for sure but mostly it sets the stage for …