Film Reviews

At Eternity's Gate review - Willem Dafoe excels in hyperactive biopic

Matt Wolf Saturday, 30 March 2019

It's all go – no, make that Van Gogh – when it comes to the Dutch post-Impressionist of late.

Out of Blue review - noir and cosmology collide

Tom Baily Saturday, 30 March 2019

At the start of Carol Morley’s noir mystery Out of Blue, detective Mike Hoolihan, bleary-eyed and slow, is carrying some burdensome weight. “This burger from last night is not sitting right,” comes the weary female investigator’s first line.

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story review - inside Sidebottom's head

Nick Hasted Friday, 29 March 2019

Frank Sidebottom was a petulant, man-child showbiz trouper with a papier-mâché head. He was more spontaneously subversive than memories of his heyday rampaging round Nineties kids TV may suggest. As to the rigorously hidden man behind the mask, he was more peculiarly brilliant than that.

Dumbo review - does Tim Burton’s new adaption take flight?

Joseph Walsh Thursday, 28 March 2019

At its heart, Disney’s fourth-feature, Dumbo, was about the love between mother and child, and defying expectations.

Minding the Gap review – profound musings on life

Owen Richards Friday, 22 March 2019

Where would you go for a devastating study on the human condition? The home movies of teenage skaters would be very low down on that list. But most of those movies aren’t filmed, compiled and analysed by Bing Liu, the director of Minding the Gap.

The White Crow review - gripping depiction of the brilliance of Nureyev

Adam Sweeting Thursday, 21 March 2019

Genius is as genius does, and Rudolf Nureyev made sure nobody was left in any doubt about the scale of either his talents or his ambitions.

Girl review - Belgian art-house portrait of a teenage ballerina

Saskia Baron Friday, 15 March 2019

Girl opens in a golden haze of sibling affection; a teenager is tickling a little boy one sunny morning in their bedroom. Lara is 15 and has just moved to a new flat with little brother Milo, 6 and single dad Mathias. The family have changed cities because Lara has been offered an 8-week trial at a prestigious ballet school.

Triple Frontier, Netflix review - war-on-drugs thriller suffers identity crisis

Adam Sweeting Friday, 15 March 2019

Flying boldly against the #MeToo grain, Triple Frontier is a rather old-fashioned story of male buddyhood and the disappointments of encroaching middle age.

Under the Silver Lake review - fascinating LA noir folly

Nick Hasted Thursday, 14 March 2019

Disappointment is instant, anyway. David Robert Mitchell’s second film, It Follows, was a teenage horror tragedy of perfectly sustained emotion.

Benjamin review - awkward romcom meets cultural analysis

Tom Baily Wednesday, 13 March 2019

Benjamin is the debut feature of Simon Amstell, a young director who has thought cleverly about the torments (and hilarities) of artistic creation in an information-soaked world.

Border review - genre-defying Oscar-nominated Swedish film

Saskia Baron Saturday, 09 March 2019

This might just be the most challenging film review I’ve had to write in decades. The best thing would be to go and see Border knowing nothing more than that it won the prize for most innovative film at Cannes. Don't watch the trailer, and definitely don’t read those lazy reviewers who complete their word count by writing a detailed synopsis ruining every reveal and plot twist.

The Kindergarten Teacher review - obsession, talent and the power of poetry

Markie Robson-Scott Friday, 08 March 2019

Lisa, the kindergarten teacher in question (a mesmerising Maggie Gyllenhaal), is taking evening classes in poetry. Twenty years of teaching and raising her three kids, now monosyllabic, mean teens, have left her desperate for culture and a creative outlet. Her stolid husband (Michael Chernus) tries his best to be supportive, but he doesn’t really get it. “My teacher says I need to put more of myself into my work,” she sighs, as she picks at a dull salad at home in Staten Island after class...

Everybody Knows review - so-so Spanish kidnap drama

Demetrios Matheou Friday, 08 March 2019

It’s a parental nightmare that’s virtually impossible to comprehend – a missing child. But however disturbing, that dilemma is not the chief concern of the Iranian writer/director Ashgar Farhadi’s latest drama. As ever, he’s interested in the psychological scars and relationship fault-lines that a crime or misdeed can expose.

Captain Marvel review – Brie Larson is the Avenger we’ve always been waiting for

Demetrios Matheou Thursday, 07 March 2019

There have been two relatively recent, welcome correctives in what is grandiosely referred to as the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” – a move towards diversity (Black Panther) and a sharp injection of comedy (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok).

Ray & Liz review - beautifully shot portrait of poverty

Sarah Kent Wednesday, 06 March 2019

Ray’s world has shrunk to a single room in a council flat. His life consists of drinking home-brew, smoking, gazing out of the window, listening to Radio 4 and sinking into an alcohol-induced stupour. There’s no need ever to leave his bedroom because his neighbour Sid does all the necessaries.

The Hole in the Ground review - parental horror stays on the surface

Nick Hasted Monday, 04 March 2019

Mothers’ fears for and of their children are primal horror material: The Babadook and Under the Shadow set recent standards for exploring its emotional terror.