Les endroits imaginaires

A slightly less successful location scout than previous times, but one that I had been waiting to do for a while. If you've mooched around the menu of this blog, or if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I'm a fan of Québecois director Xavier Dolan, and as I was heading for Montréal …

Justice League (2017)

This just in - I didn't hate Justice League, and I am delighted. I mean, there's a long way to go before it reaches Marvel levels of enjoyment, but it didn't make me angry, and the plot seemed to make sense so that's a huge step up. Obviously it's great to see Wonder Woman back …

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Sooooo much good in this sequel, and yet so much troublesome stuff too. Let's start with the good, shall we? Blade Runner 2049 is an excellent sequel. It picks up, runs with, and explores further the themes raised in its predecessor; what does it mean to be human?, what are memories?, even issues of slavery and …

Super-location

Another in the series of 'On Location', where I stumble across views from movies. So yeah, Niagara Falls is a bit obvious, but I couldn't resist ... the scene in Superman II where Lois is starting to wonder whether ... well, you know. I'm with Clark on this one - it is impressive. Me: http://www.youtube.com/embed/zdllgTDPfao Richard Lester/Richard …

Juste la fin du monde – It’s Only the End of the World

This was the film I had built my entire (if short) London Film Festival experience around. As soon as I knew I was going to be in town on the evening of the UK premiere, I booked my ticket. Director Xavier Dolan is currently one of my favourite directors. His films aren't always easy to …

Despite the Falling Snow

I wonder if Sam Reid will ever grow up to play himself? He's been a young Peter Firth in Spooks, a young Stellan Skarsgård in The Railway Man, and here he's a young Charles Dance. But this cold war/thaw film, which jumps around quite a bit in the first third between the early 1960s and …

Deadpool

What I like about this is that everyone I know who loves the character seems to love this film - it has undeniably done its job in that respect. I also like that it pokes fun without being a spoof, it’s funny (though funnier in some places than others), and the action sequences are great, …

Mommy

Do not go and see this film if you have a headache - it is VERY SHOUTY. Inside director Xavier Dolan's head must be a difficult place to be. What he manages to create with this film is challenging to watch, but full of outstanding performances from the three main actors. It's not without flaws …

Enemy

I love a film that has me wondering what the hell is happening from the very start, and this just does that. And because it doesn't directly answer all the questions it prompts, I'm still thinking about it, which is a good thing. Not one but two Jake Gyllenhaals find themselves face to face with …

Horns

I wish people would give Daniel Radcliffe a break. OK, so maybe some of the role choices he's made haven't worked out, but if his first role hadn't have been Harry Potter, then he would probably have made the same number of bum choices as most young actors. It's just that we all know who …