It has always been said that the most straightforward ideas are the most effective. While some films will have complicated plots with multiple sub-plots, sometimes a brief tale is all it needs to create a masterpiece. That is precisely what The Banshees of Inisherin is. For example, the new film from writer and director Martin…
Tag: drama
Decision to Leave
Decision to Leave is the new thriller from acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook, the man behind films like Oldboy and The Handmaiden. This is a far more traditional cop drama with a romance running through it, like the old erotic thrillers of the 80s and 90s. While he is a master of using the camera,…
The Woman King
Hollywood is definitely changing. Watching The Woman King, a small-scale historical epic set in Africa and based around a tribe of female warriors, this film would not have been possible even twenty years ago. Yet Black Panther seems to have changed all that. This is a movie made up mainly of black actors, primarily women,…
Don’t Worry Darling
Don’t Worry Darling is possibly the most talked about movie of the year, but for all the wrong reasons. Olivia Wilde’s follow-up as a director after her blazing debut with Booksmart has had nothing but difficulties, from the firing (or was that quitting) of star Shia LaBeouf, clashes between director and star, Wilde receiving court…
Beast
Back when Jaws was first released, there was a torrent of copycats and imitations, whether in the water (Orca – Killer Whale, Pirahna) or animals on the loose (Grizzly). Now we have Beast, a film that would fall into that category if released in the 70s. It does for lions what Jaws did for sharks….
Nope
There are not many directors who have made such an impact on the movie landscape as Jordan Peele. His first two films, Get Out and Us, have already become regarded as greats of the horror genre, while his latest film, Nope, was one of the year’s most anticipated films. Now it has arrived, has Peele…
Where The Crawdads Sing
Delia Owen’s Where The Crawdads Sing is a literary phenomenon. Selling over 12 million copies, it was inevitable that film companies would turn the book into a movie. The book is now in cinemas thanks to producer Reece Witherspoon and her Happy Sunshine company. Having never read the book, I have to admit that on…
The Railway Children Return
The Railway Children is one of the best-loved family films made in 1970 and directed by actor Lionel Jeffries; it has stood the test of time and is often screened on TV for a new generation to enjoy. Based on the novel by E. Nesbit, the story has been remade several times, and now we…
Elvis
I felt trepidation before entering Baz Luhrmann’s epic biopic, Elvis. Luhrmann is not known for subtle filmmaking. After the first 10 minutes of a movie that is 20 minutes shy of three hours, I was already feeling bludgeoned into submission by the relentless editing, full-on visuals and deafening soundtrack. Then something happened. A moment in…
Men
Alex Garland is a writer and director who isn’t happy with delivering straightforward, easy-to-access cinema. With films like Ex-Machina and Annihilation on his CV, he pushes the boundaries of movie making with visually stunning treats and mind-blowing storytelling. Now comes his latest, Men, a modern-day horror fairy tale that, like his previous films, is beautiful,…
Top Gun: Maverick
I was never a massive fan of Top Gun. I admired the cinematography and the flight scenes but felt the whole thing was an impressive advert for Ray-Bans, leather jackets and joining the US Navy. The late Tony Scott worked for years in advertising, and so this was a film right up his street, never…
Stu Loves Film 