With its dangerous mountain climbing scenario and all-star cast, that includes Sam Worthington, Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley, Everest looked certain to be an old school, over-the-top disaster movie. Impressively, though, Everest side-steps the typical disaster movie clichés by adopting a low-key, matter-of-fact approach that provides a less sensational but more intense drama. The film is based on actual events
Read moreSpeculative biopics about England’s royals have an erratic history. The King’s Speech was a fine depiction of King George VI’s battle to overcome chronic stuttering and establish himself as a leader while Diana was a ludicrous account of Princess Di’s clandestine relationship with heart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan. A Royal Night Out, which fictionalises the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret’s
Read moreGiven its unusual mix of genres, namely, period film, biopic, race-relations story, political drama and romance, Belle had the potential to be a fascinating film. Somehow, the whole is less than the sum of the parts as Belle, while handsome and well-made, is not the compelling story it should have been. Belle is a true story based on the early life
Read more