Conceptually inventive but poorly executed, the clunky, ridiculous post-apocalyptic steam-punk, sci-fi adventure Mortal Engines is one of the least convincing sci-fi epics of recent years. The film, which is based on Phillip Reeve’s popular novels, is set in a post-nuclear holocaust future where Earth’s surface has been bombarded by a doomsday weapon and turned into a scarred semi-desert. While some
Read moreMexican director and cinematographer Alfonso Cuaron is renowned for his startling looking films such as Children of Men and Gravity not forgetting his superb contribution to the Harry Potter franchise, The Prisoner of Azkaban. In his latest film, the remarkable and apparently semi-autobiographical, Roma he turns his astonishing aesthetic talents to both his home country of Mexico and what appears
Read moreDirector Steve McQueen has distinguished himself with confronting and intelligent films that, while not highly experimental, avoid many of current cinema’s clichés. He impresses once again with a contemporary US adaptation – co-written by Gone Girl novelist Gillian Flynn – of Lynda la Plante’s 1980’s British crime drama Widows. Leading a superb cast, Viola Davis plays Veronica, the wife of
Read moreAnyone who saw Pawel Pawlikowski’s magnificent 2012 film Ida would be eagerly awaiting his latest release, Cold War and they definitely won’t be disappointed. Pawlikowski’s film’s pay obvious homage to new wave Polish cinema of the 1950’s but still have a wonderfully distinct style and tone with their stunning black and white cinematography and exquisite images contrasted with flawed, even
Read moreLow-key drama Lean on Pete is about as far from mass entertainment spectacle as cinema gets in 2018 but it’s one of the year’s best and most emotionally affecting films. Based on the Willy Vlautin novel, the film explores life on society’s bottom rungs through the experiences of 15-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer). With his mother having left, Charley ekes
Read moreRight-wing revenge fantasy Peppermint is one of the biggest dogs of the year. This vile fascist garbage oddly combines Death Wish, a midday movie-style female empowerment yarn and an 80’s video nasty. Why Jennifer Garner chose to slum it in a film like this is mind-boggling but here she plays soccer mom Riley North who turns vigilante when a drug
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