Mixed Martial Arts is a sport I have little idea about, apart from the fact that it involves beating the living daylights out of your opponent. So a film about one of the first names of the sport didn’t initially grab me. Yet while Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine is a biopic of Mark Kerr,…
Tag: Oscars
September 5
The events of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, in which 11 Israeli athletes were held hostage in the Olympic Village, are still one of the most shocking events in history. Yet it has become a distant memory, even though it has been the subject of films such as Steven Spielberg’s Munich and the Kevin MacDonald-directed…
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
It is widely acknowledged that the Transformers franchise, while popular at the box office, is far from perfect filmmaking. Director Michael Bay’s bombastic style has led to the creation of a new word: Bayhem! The five films he helmed were loud, nonsensical, lacking in character and depth, and had a testosterone-fuelled attitude to violence, humour…
Women Talking
There are some movies that demand your attention. The trailer for Women Talking has that urgency. Not telling too much about the content, all you know is that this is about some great actresses in a bleached-coloured movie, the marketing is perfect. Sadly, once you enter the cinema to view this, you find that this…
House of Gucci
Director: Ridley Scott Starring: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek Written by: Becky Johnston, Roberto Bentivegna and (based on the book) Sara Gay Forden Running Time: 157 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 26th November 2021 Director Ridley Scott recently complained that his previous film, The Last Duel, was a…
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood Starring: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam, Eduardo Minett, Natalia Traven, Fernanda Urrejola Written by: Nick Schenk and (also based on the novel) N. Richard Nash Running Time: 104 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 12th November 2021 50 years ago, Clint Eastwood first stepped behind the camera for his feature directorial debut, the excellent…
Nomadland
Director: Chloe Zhao Starring: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie, Bob Wells, Gay DeForest Written by: Chloe Zhao and (based on the book) Jessica Bruder Running Time: 107 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 30th April 2021 The traveller in films doesn’t often inspire effect. Most movies are either deeply depressing, lacking in hope or…
Promising Young Woman
Director: Emerald Fennell Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Laverne Cox, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge Written by: Emerald Fennell Running Time: 113 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 16th April 2021 One of the joys of cinema is that you can be watching a film, following the exploits of the characters within, never really knowing…
Loving
Director: Jeff Nichols Starring: Ruth Negga, Joe Edgerton, Nick Kroll, Michael Shannon, Will Dalton, Terri Abney, Marton Csokas, David Jensen Written by: Jeff Nichols Running Time: 123 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 3rd February 2017 It seems. more than any other year, that tales of repression against the black community are at the heart of…
Hacksaw Ridge
Director: Mel Gibson Starring: Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Luke Bracey. Written by: Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight Running Time: 139 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 27th January 2017 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaypkgFBz-k It’s been hailed as the big comeback of Mel Gibson, who, for the past few days, has been…
Stu Loves Film 