2010s
Director Hong Sang-Soo’s latest effort, On The Beach At Night Alone, is one of his most deeply autobiographical (and best!) to date, but it isn’t particularly accessible for newcomers to his filmography.
The arresting visuals at their most peculiar would be the biggest reason to recommend Sheikh Jackson, but it’s worth watching as a good coming-of-age story with a nuanced depiction of faith and a strong character arc at the centre.
For a studio whose storytelling style and command of visuals is so wonderfully inventive, in Early Man they’ve opted for the laziest, most obvious narrative trajectory imaginable, without even a winning sense of humour to back that up.
A provoking film that resonates long after the credits have roles, The Strange Ones is an understated debut, with just enough external beauty and internal unease to keep us hopeful for their cinematic future.
David Heinz’s excellent debut American Folk is an ardent plea for togetherness in a divided world. Aided by his leading actors, talented cinematographer, and ear-worm of a soundtrack, this journey is a privilege to share.
Devil’s Gate frustratingly flirts with greatness- however, director Clay Staub’s genre mash-up is too uneven to sustain the entirety of its running time.
In The Final Year, current events turn what might have been a good if slightly unremarkable documentary into a powerful work of nostalgia and mourning.
Proud Mary would be nothing special if it did not star Taraji P. Henson. But it does, and as a result it stands out like a beam of sunshine piercing the dull grey murk that is January at the movies.
Extensive research has been undertaken to produce this documentary, The Politics of Hate, on the re-emergence of the far right. Unfortunately, nothing within feels revelatory if you’ve seen the news in the last two years.
With average performances, a weak script, and a lack of sentiment regarding the treatment of Native Americans, Hostiles isn’t going to make audiences want westerns to come back anytime soon.
Using acute, penetrating realism, a career-best performance from Wyle, powerful secondary performances from the actors, air-tight writing incorporating pressing themes, and an unpredictable ending, Shot overwhelmingly succeeds as both a film and a statement about our culture.
Diablo Cody’s directorial debut was made back in 2013, yet got buried so deep it’s easy to not know it even existed. After watching Paradise, it became clear why it never got a proper release five years ago.
Ana Asensio’s directorial debut, Most Beautiful Island, is an intimate view of the immigrant experience not as social realist drama or romantic comedy, but as a horror story.
With unflinching backlash and polarizing reviews between fans and critics, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has found little favor among the masses – but was this the fault of the storyteller or the company behind the film who always plays it safe.
The Babysitter is perfectly trashy popcorn entertainment, with a distinctive, highly-stylized vision and self-satirizing bite; a lesson in embracing genre conventions rather than falling victim to them.