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film review

2019 Film Reviews – 64: Toy Story 4 [dir. Josh Cooley; 2019]

The teams behind the Toy Story films have always displayed a commendable talent for telling relatively simple, focussed stories with terrific attention to detail, neat characterisation and an insistence on intelligent, convincing plotting. However, I’d argue that this precision-led approach has resulted in sequels that have been satisfying, but haven’t quite managed to linger in one’s memory. Toy Story 4 is very much in this … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 64: Toy Story 4 [dir. Josh Cooley; 2019]

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2019 Film Reviews – 63: Official Secrets [dir. Gavin Hood; 2019]

It may not be remarkable in terms of cinematic flair or technical originality, but the story it tells makes Official Secrets worthy of your attention. Focussing on Katharine Gun’s decision to expose the UK intelligence agencies’ dubious dealings in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War, it offers a carefully-delineated picture of how the story ended up on the front page of the national press … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 63: Official Secrets [dir. Gavin Hood; 2019]

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2019 Film Reviews – 62: The Laundromat [dir. Steven Soderbergh; 2019]

What a curious little film. First, Antonio Banderas and Gary Oldman appear – playing two lawyers at the centre of 2016’s Panama Papers scandal – and proceed to give us a direct-to-camera lesson in the development of the barter system and the creation of money. Then Meryl Streep pops up, trying to navigate the treacherous world of fake insurance policies following the death of her … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 62: The Laundromat [dir. Steven Soderbergh; 2019]

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2019 Film Reviews – 61: The Irishman [dir. Martin Scorsese; 2019]

Several critics have declared The Irishman to be Martin Scorsese’s finest film of the last decade, and whilst I agree that it is superb, I think I’d qualify the praise slightly by saying that it’s probably his most fan-pleasing film of recent years. This epic – but never baggy – story of a low-grade criminal getting caught up with the mob and possibly playing a … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 61: The Irishman [dir. Martin Scorsese; 2019]

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2019 Film Reviews – 60: Booksmart [dir. Olivia Wilde; 2019]

Despite its (appropriate?) crudeness, there’s a real charm running all the way through Booksmart — a frenetic account of two American girls deciding, on the eve of their high school graduation, that they have to indulge in at least one night of partying, rule-breaking and all-round debauchery. As they try to fulfil this ambition, they meet a host of increasingly eccentric characters and stumble into … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 60: Booksmart [dir. Olivia Wilde; 2019]

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2019 Film Reviews – 59: By The Grace Of God [dir. Francois Ozon; 2018]

There is a great deal to admire in François Ozon’s level-headed presentation of a real, recent case which saw the Diocese Of Lyon having to address several instances of historic child abuse. But I suppose one of the main aspects of the film that struck me was the skill with which the director showed disparate, visually distinct stories come together – as the victims drew … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 59: By The Grace Of God [dir. Francois Ozon; 2018]

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2019 Film Reviews – 58: Monos [dir. Alejandro Landes; 2019]

The worlds of Apocalypse Now and Lord Of The Flies bleed into each other in dizzying, brain-pummelling fashion in Monos: an elliptical, immaculately-performed tale of child soldiers looking after an American hostage in an unnamed South American country. As he moves the action from mountains to jungle – and his young protagonists shed more and more layers of their humanity – Landes contrasts aggressive shapes … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 58: Monos [dir. Alejandro Landes; 2019]

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