Review-Lite: Happiest Season (2020)

Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis in Happiest Season Every year the christmas season brings about the inevitable slew of Lifetime and Hallmark festive movies. Even Netflix has gotten in on the game in recent years. The film you can watch not only to bask in seasonal cheer but also point out the glaring production errors …

Review-Lite: The Photograph (2020)

LaKeith Stanfield and Issa Rae in The Photograph Right from the start of Stella Meghie's The Photograph you are met with an explosion of colour and passion, a warm and sensual feel and a flawed and captivating love story about wanting different things at different times and giving up. However the 70s set story this …

Review: Summerland (2020) – Believe In Something

Gemma Arterton in Summerland Summerland, despite the picturesque coastal town setting and playful demeanour is a war film but it uses its World War 2 setting and tale of loss to instead tell a story about emotional recovery and faith. This tale of patchwork family is told with such care and grace that a simple …

Review: A Secret Love (2020) – A Hidden Life

Terry Donaghue and Pat Henschel in A Secret Love \There is a quote from George Eliot's Middlemarch at the beginning of Terreance Malick's A Hidden Life about how for a society to succeed or even flourish it requires the little known stories of people you often wouldn't take any notice of. Chris Bolan's documentary A …

Review: The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020) – Seasons Change

Geraldine Viswanathan and Dacre Montgomery in The Broken Hearts Gallery There is something inherently kitschy about Natalie Krinsky's The Broken Hearts Gallery from its classic 90's rom-com feel to how it embraces the idiosyncrasies of a new generation of New York newcomers and the fresh perspective they bring with them. It's also a film that …

Review: The Night Clerk (2020) – The Lifeguard

Tye Sheridan in The Night Clerk The Night Clerk for all its conspiracy trappings and unconventional romance motifs isn't quite the film it wants to be. Believing itself to be a fresh take on autism, a tale for those who aren't quite neurotypical, the misunderstood wallflowers resigned to sit and watch instead of getting involved. …

Review: Chemical Hearts (2020) – Teenage Philosophy

Austin Abrams and Lili Reinhart in Chemical Hearts Just before 2020 took a nosedive and we all rushed inside our houses and plugged ourselves into Amazon Prime, Netflix and other streaming services, Netflix released the similarly themed yet vastly superior All The Bright Places onto their service. Much like Chemical Hearts it handled mental illness, …

Review: Dating Amber (2020) – Home Is Where The Harm Is

Lola Petticrew and Fionn O'Shea in Dating Amber There is something utterly liberating about an Irish comedy, from the audacious, offensive nature of films such as The Guard to the liberating openness of films such as Sing Street and Once ( or any John Carney musical film actually). Dating Amber for all its ideas about …

Review: Plus One (2020) – Days of Joyful Cynicism

Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid in Plus One Ben (Jack Quaid) is a single man. This summer he has been invited to more weddings than any person should logically go to in a summer, one of which requires flying out to Hawaii. Sounds like the perfect way to get drunk and meet women, something Ben …

Review: To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020) – The Same But Different

Lana Condor and Noah Centineo in To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Its been two years since the first chapter in this Netflix trilogy and despite being set almost immediately after To All The Boys I Loved Before, the sequel P.S. I Still Love You doesn't seem to really remember who these …