‘Why go on? Why keep trying?’ Roy McBride Ad Astra (Latin for To the Stars) feels like a film that I needed right now. I have seen it a couple of times during lockdown and it hits a nerve. Brad Pitt plays Roy McBride who undertakes a space mission to deliver a message to his … Continue reading Ad Astra (2019)
‘Free winds and no tyranny for you, Freddie, sailor of the seas. You pay no rent, free to go where you please. Then go, go to that landless latitude and good luck. If you figure a way to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know, will you? For … Continue reading The Master (2012)
‘The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry – it just gets dirtier’ Serpico It was Al Pacino’s 80th birthday this month, I have seen most of his films, even the bad ones, yes there are bad ones! (Note - this is not a bad one) I thought I revisit Serpico as … Continue reading Serpico (1973)
'See, I love you. But love is a feeling we can experience but never explain. One can explain the concept. You love that which you can lose: Yourself, a woman, a homeland. Until today, love was simply unattainable to mankind, to the earth. Maybe we are here to experience people as a reason for love.' … Continue reading Solaris (1972)
'I want adults to listen to me' this is said by Zain, a 12 year old boy, as he stands in court, he has committed a crime and is serving his sentence but has decided to sue his parents for bringing him into this world. Nadine Labaki's film is a harrowing and powerful depiction of … Continue reading Capernaum (2018)
Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there? Arthur Fleck That definitely feels true. Joker is set in the early 80s and is loosely based on the origin of the Joker (DC Comic character and arch rival of Batman). This version is written and directed by Todd Phillips (the director of The … Continue reading Joker (2019)
Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968 Ridley Scott made ground breaking Blade Runner (1982) (one of my favourite films) from it which went on to inspire a host of filmmakers and created a cult following. But the film was an interpretation of the book and having read it … Continue reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dennis Hopper (Father): 'No, your mother...is not crazy. And neither, contrary to popular belief, is your brother crazy. He's merely miscast in a play. He was born in the wrong era, on the wrong side of the river... With the ability to do anything that he wants to do and... finding nothing that he wants … Continue reading Rumble Fish (1983)
After a five year break Pawel Pawlikowski returns with Cold War (2018) it follows Ida (2013) (see my earlier review of this) and it continues to showcase Pawlikowski as a filmmaker to watch for. It is easy to say this is Romeo and Juliet, but, it sort of is. Set after the Second World War, … Continue reading Cold War (2018)
Spike Lee is a bit like marmite you either enjoy his films or you don't, I am sort of on the fence with him. I liked Do The Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Summer of Sam (1999) and Bamboozled (2000) the latter is definitely sleeper film that needs viewing (though some would say argue … Continue reading BlacKkKlansman (2018)
