Whether he’s making sci fi such as Robocop and Starship Troopers, a psychological thriller like Elle, an erotic thriller like Basic Instinct or a soft porn/comedy like Showgirls, the ever-controversial Dutch director Paul Verhoeven seems to love exploring troubled, morally questionable characters and provocateurs. His latest film, the much-lauded and often confronting, Benedetta, is no different. Loosely based on real
Read moreJapanese drama Drive My Car, which is based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, has been one of the most lauded films of the year. Nominated for both the Best Picture and Best International Feature Oscars and Best Director for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, it marks the continued ascent and recognition of films from outside Hollywood and the west, particularly from
Read moreMoonfall follows in the noble tradition of Independence Day, Deep impact and Armageddon as a ludicrous ‘death from above’, global destruction sci-fi action flick in which the world can only be saved by jokey Americans. Astonishingly, this film is even more loopy than the films just mentioned. It comes from none other than Roland Emmerich who seems to have a
Read moreKenneth Branagh’s heartfelt, energetic, if familiar, Belfast is a semi-autobiographical family drama and childhood rites of passage film set amid the increasingly menacing environment of Northern Ireland during ‘the troubles’ in 1969. The film centres on nine-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill, in his feature acting debut), a likeable and precocious primary schooler living with his family in working class Belfast. His
Read moreDramatisations of the life of Princess Diana have usually been misfires, the most notorious being the 2013 film Diana which, despite the star power of lead Naomi Watts, wound up as a fluffy costume drama and borderline turkey. Pablo Larrain’s Spencer, however, is a very different take on Diana’s story and while limited in scope, it’s a much more impressive
Read moreSplashed with vivid colour and featuring stories about relationships, solidarity and conflicts between women – particularly mothers and daughters – Pedro Almodóvar’s films are immediately recognisable. HIs moving new film Parallel Mothers has all the unmistakable Almodóvar traits, but in exploring women’s lives this time, he links the personal and the political in a story about confronting the raw truth
Read more