Based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel, My Cousin Rachel is a period melodrama with a touch of Hitchcockian mystery. While well-performed by an impressive cast that includes Sam Claflin and Rachel Weisz, the film’s minimalist plot, leisurely pacing and odd tonal shifts make it a slightly unsatisfying experience. Sam Claflin plays young English country gent Phillip Ashley who, since
Read moreDenial begins with a familiar caption ‘based on a true story’ but it’s more pertinent here than in most other films as Denial recounts a legal case in which truth and historical fact were out on trial. The film concerns the liable case brought against American history professor Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) and her publishers Penguin Books by British author
Read moreWith 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 moreIt’s a pretty daunting task for any director to try to create a prequel for a classic film. Tinkering with a well-established movie mythology means there’s a huge threat of a backlash should they get it wrong; Phantom Menace anyone? The task is even greater when it’s an icon of old Hollywood and such a universally loved film as The
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