Film, Emma Simmonds
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43 articles
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Man of Steel
12 Jun 2013
Decent performances and safe direction results in a Superman flick that flies but never soars
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's another take on Superman, swooping into cinemas just seven-years after Bryan Singer's sluggish version, which in turn heavily referenced its 1978 predecessor. With Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder attempts to…
World War Z
7 Jun 2013
Glasgow-shot zombie movie is as Hollywood as they come
Emerging from a storm of troubled production rumours comes Marc Forster's zombie action movie, World War Z. Eschewing the multi-narrative structure and political commentary of Max Brooks' book, it takes the zombie apocalypse story and presents it in the…
Simon Killer
4 Apr 2013
A sinister, smartly shot dramatic thriller starring Brady Corbet and Mati Diop
Antonio Campos follows his striking debut Afterschool with another cinematic punch to the gut. Simon Killer is a film which chills and confounds. Featuring a complex performance from Brady Corbet (Funny Games, Melancholia), it signposts its…
The Sessions
16 Oct 2012
Charming and gently moving story of a polio survivor and a sexual surrogate
The Sessions is the true story of the poet and journalist Mark O’Brien’s experiences with a sexual surrogate. O’Brien was a polio survivor who spent much of his life paralyzed from the neck down, largely confined to an iron lung. As a consequence he…
My Brother the Devil
9 Oct 2012
Occasionally predictable but heartfelt story of London gang culture
A story of the ties that bind and break young men, My Brother the Devil is the heartfelt feature debut of writer-director Sally El Hosaini. It’s a convincing, intermittently powerful portrait of those on the forgotten fringes. My Brother the Devil…
Admission
11 Jun 2013
Uninspired academia-set romcom starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd
At first glance Admission could be mistaken for a sure-fire success. Starring lovable duo Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, it combines life-crisis drama with romantic comedy, and director Paul Weitz has some form balancing the two (having directed About a Boy).
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
25 Feb 2013
Unsatisfying horror, comedy and action combo starring Gemma Arterton and Jeremy Renner
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is the dunderheaded English-language debut of Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola (best known for highly entertaining Nazi zom-com Dead Snow). Despite a promisingly (and characteristically) daft concept it's a film that lacks…
Movie 43
28 Jan 2013
A sloppily slung together anthology film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet
Movie 43 is as star-studded as it is puerile and therein lies its solitary appeal. With directors including Peter Farrelly, Brett Ratner and Elizabeth Banks, it’s an anthology that’s sloppily slung together, combining spectacular immaturity with…
The Spirit of '45
13 Mar 2013
Admirable documentary from Ken Loach about the creation of the welfare state in post-war Britain
With the coalition’s axe in full swing, Ken Loach takes us back to 1945 and the creation of the welfare state. His documentary is part history lesson, part rallying cry, and is a timely reminder of the benefits of pulling together and of what we stand…
Quartet
16 Oct 2012
Joyful, if formulaic, drama from Dustin Hoffman
Set in the fictional Beecham House, an opulent home for retired musicians, Quartet is the directorial debut from Dustin Hoffman. Studded with vintage stars, it’s joyful if formulaic matinee fare, like a posh, apolitical Brassed Off. It’s based on the…
The East
6 Jun 2013
Director Zal Batmanglij returns with moody action drama co-written with Brit Marling
Director Zal Batmanglij follows his so-so cult-based thriller Sound of My Voice with another moody into-the-lion's-den story, co-written once again with star Brit Marling. Marling plays Sarah Moss, a former FBI agent now working for private…
Profile: Ben Lewin, director of The Sessions
15 Jan 2013
The film is inspired by poet and journalist Mark O'Brien's experiences with a sex surrogate
Born Poland, 1946. Raised in Melbourne, Australia. Background In 1971 Lewin quit his job as a barrister to study filmmaking at the National Film and Television School in England. Lewin’s work to date includes Ally McBeal and the films Georgia and…
Crossfire Hurricane
24 Oct 2012
Spirited documentary celebrating 50 years of The Rolling Stones
Marking the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones, this spirited documentary from Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture) is made up of vintage footage of the Stones during their prime and is brought bang up to date with new audio reflections from…
The Master
16 Oct 2012
Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film includes an astounding performance from Joaquin Phoenix
Following up There Will Be Blood was always going to be a daunting task, but Paul Thomas Anderson truly delivers in The Master. It's the story of two men: Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) is a restless ex navy man, a rough bundle of nerves; Philip…
The King Of Marvin Gardens
10 May 2013
Reissue of forgotten 70s film starring Jack Nicholson by director of Five Easy Pieces
'In the fun house how do you know who's really crazy?' that's the pertinent question in The King of Marvin Gardens, Bob 'Five Easy Pieces' Rafelson's third film. This reissue is a chance to re-appraise the 1972 financial flop starring Jack Nicholson and…
Promised Land
26 Mar 2013
Gus Van Sant's eco-drama is fundamentally likeable but shies away from deeper issues
Director Gus Van Sant is no stranger to tackling challenging subject matter, be it school shootings (Elephant), gay rights (Milk) or critically derided remakes (Psycho). His latest effort takes on the controversial gas-mining process fracking, with a…
Evil Dead
26 Mar 2013
Fede Alvarez's horror remake doesn't better the original, but is still satisfyingly gory
Plumping for back-to-basics terror over quips and innovation, Evil Dead transcends its remake status with exuberant displays of blood lust, dousing a largely bland cast in buckets of the stuff. The feature debut of acclaimed shorts director Fede Alvarez…
For Ellen
11 Feb 2013
An occasionally moving portrait of a failed musician starring Paul Dano
So Yong Kim's modest, fitfully moving third feature launches us straight into the middle of a divorce. Joby Taylor (Paul Dano) is a struggling musician, the frontman of the appallingly monikered Snake Trouble. As the film begins, he's driving through…
Dead Europe
17 Dec 2012
Eerie and alienating drama about family ties
A tale of family secrets, cultural detachment and lingering prejudices with a generous helping of European misery, Dead Europe is Australian director Tony Krawitz’s second narrative feature, following 2005’s Jewboy. Ewen Leslie plays Isaac, an…
Seven Psychopaths
24 Oct 2012
Unabashed violent comedy from director of In Bruges
Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to In Bruges is as fiercely violent as its title suggests, and a whole lot funnier. Its film-within-a-film concept finds alcoholic screenwriter Marty (Colin Farrell) troubled by writer’s block; he’s got a title – Seven…
Radioman
9 Oct 2012
Documentary about the homeless New York film mascot
Mary Kerr’s feature-length documentary debut tells the extraordinary story of Craig Castaldo - a.k.a. Radioman - a New York film set ‘mascot’ who has appeared fleetingly in over 100 features, beginning with The Bonfire of the Vanities in 1990. Defined…
Revisiting: Santa Sangre
25 Sep 2012
Jodorowsky's 1989 cult circus slasher returns to cinemas
The circus has long provided rich cinematic pickings, from Freaks and The Greatest Show on Earth to La Strada and Lola Montès. In Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1989 contribution to the canon, the circus is the stuff of wild nightmares and childhood trauma. Set…
Keyhole
10 Sep 2012
An exquisite and sorrowful offering from Guy Maddin
Keyhole is a haunted house movie unlike any other. Told in majestic monochrome, it’s sorrowful and exquisitely barking – a giddy waltz of grief. The brainchild of Canadian director Guy Maddin (My Winnipeg), one of the most idiosyncratic and ingenious…
Hysteria
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6 Sep 2012
An irreverent drama about the invention of the vibrator, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy
Boasting a story that’s based on true – albeit improbable – events, Hysteria is a period drama with a helping or two of sex comedy, making it a cross between a Jane Austen adaptation and a Carry On film. The third feature from American director Tanya…
The Watch
14 Aug 2012
Unabashed crowd-pleaser triumphs thanks to uproarious script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Akiva Schaffer’s comedy sees nosey neighbours morph into a force to be reckoned with, as a gang of suburban misfits go from investigating a murder to thwarting an alien invasion. After a colleague is killed in bizarre circumstances, proud resident…
