Film

By Michael McNulty Paris and New York are more often the cities romanticized on the silver screen, from the gritty streets of the Bronx to the arty cafes of Montemarte. But let’s not forget about the island that sits in the middle and the city at its centre, London. Here are our top five London set films. 1. Attack the Block To kick things off, let’s travel south of the river, down Brixton way. Joe Cornish’s directorial debut, a thrill...

By Michael McNulty Murder, sex, and a little cannibalism thrown in, that’s what Eating Raoul, Paul Bartel’s 1982 film, has on offer. For some it will be too outrageous, for others it will feel like a played down John Water flick, never quite committing to the true nature of its outrageous plot. But, the film strikes a perfect balance that works completely for what it’s set out to achieve. Its black, deadpan comedy with a slapstick slant, is not only...

By Wyndham Hacket Pain It is easy to get caught up in the annual awards coverage and forget that entries are films, and not just news stories. Articles surrounding Hidden Figures have placed a large emphasis on its diverse cast and how it is somehow an antidote to the failings of last year’s nominations. All this attention seems rather unfair, as it ignores the merits and qualities that are on display in this film. Set in 1960s Virginia, where racism...

By Anna Power An intergenerational female friendship flick with some nice ideas at its core but like so many others panders to schmaltz in its execution, though not unenjoyably so. Octogenarian Harriet Lauler (Shirley MacLaine) lives a loveless life. Her days roll on relentlessly; her pristine home a prison of sorts and you get a disturbing sense of the vacuum around her routine of lonely meals and frustrated gazing out the window over lengthy lawns at life. Filling the void...

Terrence Malick has seemingly become so committed to his own self-aggrandising brand of philosophically indulgent, freeform filmmaking that one could arguably be justified in calling him the Michael Bay of arthouse auteurism. Granted, it’s impossible not to be intrigued by the output of a director who’s driven solely by his own artistic vision, but contrary to popular belief, Malick is not some sort of celestial, cinematic being: his earlier works – Badlands and The Thin Red Lines – may have...

Wyndham Hacket Pain @WyndhamHP At a time in the year when the cinemas are filled with action blockbusters and superhero franchises it can be easy to overlook films about the seemingly mundane and every day. There is a wonderful humility to The Midwife that has no pretensions and just aims to bring life to a seemingly unremarkable story. Set in Paris, the film follows single mother and midwife Claire (Catherine Frot) who lives a lonely existence in the city’s suburbs....

Cinema-lovers across the country will be pulling up a blanket to watch classic films under the stars this summer as Luna Cinema announces its 2017 season of open air cinema. Running until October at some of the most stunning locations in London, including Hampton Court Palace, Kew Gardens, Greenwich Park and Kenwood House, the company will show both much-loved classics and brand new blockbusters, including the six-time Oscar-winning La La Land, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Hacksaw Ridge, Bridget Jones’ Baby and Arrival....

by Leslie Byron Pitt Brutal from the outset, and leaner than bison meat, Brendan Muldowney’s Pilgrimage may not hold the same relentlessness as Neil Marshall’s historic chase feature Centurion (2010), but it’s a film which holds scenes of a latent potency when it breaks free of it’s relaying of the plot. It doesn’t break the mould in any real way but is the type of fringe piece which could get a lot of traction with an audience, if it had...

Invigorated with a refreshingly ebullient zeal, the films of Edgar Wright have never been known to suppress their influences. His feature debut – A Fistful of Fingers, “the greatest western ever made… in Somerset” – was dedicated to Sergio Leone, amongst others, and delighted in imitating the gritty, sun-scorched design of the Dollars trilogy. Likewise, his highly lauded Cornetto series – Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End – took great joy in toying with the tropes...