Mute

I love Moon and so desperately wanted Mute to be good as we had waited so long for it. You've probably already work out then that this unfortunately fell well short of expectations. What starts out as a futuristic neo-noir with Leo searching for his missing girlfriend abruptly turns in to a very different film …

Tom of Finland (2017)

The images created by Tom of Finland may very well be familiar even if, like me, you know nothing about the artist himself. His drawings have influenced modern culture in many recognisable ways since the middle of the last century, but there is even more to the man that this film seeks to reveal. In true …

Toni Erdmann

Maren Ade's exploration of a strange father-daughter relationship has been almost universally hailed as one of the best films of the century by critics. It's been nominated all over the place for awards. Yet it doesn't win everywhere it's nominated, and I suppose that's because it is something of an acquired taste. Both the direction and …

L’avenir – Things to Come

Can a performance be outstanding and understated at the same time? It's the best description I can come up with for Isabelle Huppert in this low-key story of a woman whose life is undergoing major changes. The life events come thick and fast, (ageing parents, relationship difficulties, getting too old for the job) but there …

Saul fia – Son of Saul

This much-awarded film has been on the must-see list for a while, and it is certainly required, though not easy, viewing. For a first-time director, albeit it one with an apprenticeship at the elbow of Bela Tarr, László Nemes has created a profound and moving film, and the limitations he has imposed upon himself work to …

Victoria

I can see why this film is divisive. I went to see it because of the 'one-take' premise. Could it be done? How could it be done? What was to be gained by doing it? To answer the first question - clearly yes. To answer the second - with excellent planning and some great camera …

No Limits – Impossible is Just a Word

If you take this at face value, then Alex Zanardi is nothing short of a iron-willed saint. A former F1 driver who lost both legs after an accident, who went on to become Paralympic and World para-cycling Champion, he is now embarking on his next challenge - being part of a 3 man driving team …

Spectre

Strange. Skyfall was a step in another direction for Daniel Craig's Bond, yet this felt like it had leapt back in time to another Bond entirely.While I appreciate the visual mirroring and dialogue echoes from some of the other films in the 50 year old franchise, parts of this seemed badly misjudged, and yes, I am …

Elser – 13 Minutes

Isn't it funny how the way a film's title is translated can give a totally different impression of what the film is going to be about? I knew the premise of the film - in 1939, a plot to assassinate Hitler failed by the titular 13 minutes. I hadn't even paid attention to the film's …

Clouds of Sils Maria

The Clouds of the title are a meteorological phenomenon which happens in the mountains, where the clouds swirl through the peaks and valleys like a serpent. The clouds will look different depending on where you are viewing them from, but they also shape shift while you are actually watching them. The film's plot does exactly …