With its meticulously composed shots, remote Alpine hotel setting and all-pervading quirkiness, Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth immediately recalls the films of Wes Anderson. In the end, though, this meditation on ageing mortality and artistic ambition offers something more confronting than Anderson’s typical comical weirdness. Michael Caine stars as revered classical composer and conductor Fred Ballinger who, for initially mysterious reasons, has
Read moreTime once again to enter the wonderfully off-kilter but seeringly insightful alternate reality of David O Russell’s films. His two previous offerings Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle were an intoxicating mix of comedy, drama and romance that provided some of the best cinema entertainment of recent years. With those films Russell established an ensemble of actors including Robert de
Read moreThis week on ‘Built For Speed’ we take a look at film featuring characters beloved for over 50 years in Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie. We also look at film depicting a tumultuous time and vital political event in British society in Suffragette. There’s many fine tunes with some classic 90’s power pop from the likes of Matthew Sweet
Read moreThis Friday ‘Built For Speed’ kicks off 2016 with a selection of favourite tracks from across the decades. There’ll be classics from The Replacements, Bob Dylan, The Kills, Dinosaur Jr and many others. We also pay tribute to two great rockers who left us this week: Stevie Wright and Lemmy. On the movie front we look at two new films
Read moreThe last James Bond movie, Sam Mendes’ Skyfall was, for the most part, an exciting and clever re-imagining of Bond mythology that drew on both the Bourne movies and the Christopher Nolan’s Batman films for its visceral action, genuinely menacing villain and creepy noir atmosphere. It’s departure from the more frivolous and hedonistic style of the older Bond films didn’t
Read moreIn 2005 Love Actually set the benchmark for rom-coms featuring a large sprawling cast of name actors playing characters whose personal and professional lives intertwine in a quirky, amusing and sometimes bittersweet fashion. Love Actually was also a Christmas movie and successfully infused its romantic tales with the elation and pain of Christmas. Love, The Coopers attempts something similar with
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