Tennis isn’t my go-to sport. I will watch it occasionally, and I have played it in the past, but it’s not a sport that makes me sit for hours while Wimbledon is on. There have been few films that have won me over, either. Battle of the Sexes with Emma Stone and Steve Carell was…
Back To Black
You wait ages for a musician biopic; two come along almost simultaneously. We had Bob Marley: One Love, which failed to capture the true spirit of the reggae star, and now we have Back to Black, the story of Amy Winehouse, the powerhouse singer whose life was cut so short. Both stars had documentaries covering…
Civil War
Cinema can be a powerful source of projecting what is happening today. Looking back to the 70s, one can see the paranoia of post-Vietnam and the 80s for its Regean-ite freedom and greed of the rich. Now, we are in a world where war seems to fill the news agenda, and America is divided politically….
The First Omen
The trend of rebooting classic horrors continues with a prequel to the 1976 classic The Omen. After the failure to capture the spirit (get it?) of The Exorcist with The Exorcist: Believer, The First Omen had meagre expectations. As the original was an Exorcist rip-off, would we get another generic horror film that relies on…
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Filmmakers have been fascinated with giant monsters knocking seven bells out of each other ever since the 1933 King Kong and the 1954 Japanese Godzilla. The 21st saw the return to the big screen of these two titans with both Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island introducing the MonsterVerse and a hit-and-miss affair it has been,…
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
It was 40 years ago when the original Ghostbusters hit our screens and became one of the most successful comedy films ever. The heady mix of giggles, special effects, and scares worked on every level, and even now, looking at the film, I think it might be dubious in some of its contents and is…
Monster
Hirokazu Koreeda is one of Japan’s most prolific and admired directors. His films are often slices of life, leading many to compare him to Yasujiro Ozu and even Ken Loach. With successful dramas Shoplifters and Broker under his belt, he now challenges his audience with a story seen from the point of view of three…
Dune: Part Two
There are not many films that can be classified as a masterpiece. The Godfather and Godfather Part II are masterpieces. So is Lawrence of Arabia. Many think the Lord of the Rings films fall into that category (controversially, I don’t). I will, however, add another movie to the list. Denis Villenuve’s long-awaited Dune: Part Two….
Wicked Little Letters
When you were young, you were told that swearing was neither big nor clever. Some would say that those who use excessively bad language do not have the vocabulary to cover what they are trying to say. On the evidence of Wicked Little Letters, the new British comedy-drama, these theories can be thrown out the…
Madame Web
Another week, another superhero movie, part of the Spider-Man Cinematic Universe. Madame Web is one of the lesser known characters from Marvel and on evidence of the movie, I don;t think her popularity will rise. This is a mess of a film that seems to have a misleading trailer, a script that, in places, is…
The Iron Claw
It’s always interesting when you go into a movie with little knowledge of the subject matter, especially when inspired by a true story. The Iron Claw is the story of the Von Erick family, a wrestling family that helps change the face of the professional sport. I knew they had something to do with wrestling…
The Zone of Interest
The events within the walls of Auschwitz have been and will probably be a subject of interest for filmmakers. They make for powerful, sometimes shocking and always heartbreaking movies, like Steven Spielberg’s influential Schindler’s List or the harrowing Son of Saul. Now, Jonathan Glazer, the director of Sexy Beast and the sci-fi Under The Skin,…
Stu Loves Film 