2010s

LITTLE MEN: A Missed Opportunity To Explore The Human Cost Of Gentrification
LITTLE MEN: A Missed Opportunity To Explore The Human Cost Of Gentrification

Little Men is a quiet character study that manages to demonstrate the effect gentrification has on two families, without ever uttering that word or making it a thesis rallying against the modernisation of different communities.

TROLLS: Sugar High Study In Primary Colors
TROLLS: Sugar High Study In Primary Colors

Trolls is aimed as squarely at parents as it is the kids, who likely won’t be as familiar with the terrifically tressed toy trolls as they were say, Angry Birds. Probably not a problem. A comeback seems likely.

CHRISTINE: A Compelling But Tragic Character Study
CHRISTINE: A Compelling But Tragic Character Study

In July of 1974, television reporter Christine Chubbuck committed suicide on a live news broadcast. This is not a spoiler for Christine, as the film concentrates on the tragic events that led to its title character’s fall.

SAVING MES AYNAK: Making Archaeology Harrowing
SAVING MES AYNAK: Making Archaeology Harrowing

Saving Mes Aynak’s central figure, Qadir Temori, is an Afghan archaeologist more Don Quixote than Indiana Jones, fighting forces from all sides threatening to wrench from his country what is deemed the most significant find of the century.

ELLE: A Complex & Challenging Exploration Into Lurid Territory
ELLE: A Complex & Challenging Exploration Into Lurid Territory

Elle faithfully transcribes the original book “Oh…”, presenting masochistic and sadistic elements as comedy in the darkest form.

HACKSAW RIDGE: A Film Of Contrasts That Seamlessly Works
HACKSAW RIDGE: A Film Of Contrasts That Seamlessly Works

What helps to distinguish Hacksaw Ridge is that, at its core, it is a film that attempts to combine the seemingly contradictory qualities of pacifism and the violence associated with patriotism.

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE & The Duality Of Guilty Pleasures
GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE & The Duality Of Guilty Pleasures

Halloween has come to an end, but some scary things follow us all year. One of them is our guilty pleasures. No matter how critical a film enthusiast can be, there will always be that bad film that is difficult not to love.

Is There Another Bias Going On At The Oscars?
DOCTOR STRANGE: A Gentler, Smarter Superhero

The very idea of “The Batch” being in a Marvel film with Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rachel McAdams was an incredibly inviting prospect.

YOU'VE BEEN TRUMPED TOO: A Wasted Attempt At A Timely Documentary
YOU’VE BEEN TRUMPED TOO: A Wasted Attempt At A Timely Documentary

Imagine waking up from a coma and finding out that one of the nominees in the 2016 presidential election was a thin skinned egomaniac, with a penchant for airing his racist, misogynist and ableist views (and a platform that allows for homophobic views to boot). Imagine if you found out that he’d already set a precedent for his appalling behaviour, yet he was still inexplicably marching towards success, planning to grab the American electorate by the pussy. Having this news broken to you as your comatose body reanimates and prepares for a life in a new, quasi-dystopian future, is the only way you are likely to be shocked by any of Donald Trump’s antics.

ICE GUARDIANS: A Persuasive Argument For The Maligned Enforcers
ICE GUARDIANS: A Persuasive Argument For The Maligned Enforcers

Ice Guardians will broaden everyone’s view on the disparaged enforcers, framing itself as a plea to those who have sided against the bruisers without giving it much thought. After all, the lumbering men are just that, men, and Ice Guardians captures them and their role in all its complicated glory.

BRIDGET JONES'S BABY: Infinitely Warm & Loveable
BRIDGET JONES’S BABY: Infinitely Warm & Lovable

I’m going to be honest with you, I loathed the first two Bridget Jones films. I read the books as a teenager and I was so excited when the first film came out only a year or two later. But I didn’t like it one bit.

SHIN GODZILLA: An Ecological Parable Retold
SHIN GODZILLA: An Ecological Parable Retold

The Godzilla franchise has had a long and storied history, dating back to the original motion picture of 1954 directed by Ishirō Honda. Produced and distributed by famed Japanese film studio Toho, the original feature has spawned multiple franchise sequels over the years, from both its country of origin and the United States. Starting with the 1956 Japanese-American remake of Honda’s original feature from only two years prior, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

INFERNO: Breakneck Thriller Hurtles Right Over Its Plot
INFERNO: Breakneck Thriller Hurtles Right Over Its Plot

Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Ron Howard reunite in their third collaboration on a Dan Brown adaptation, Inferno. Small wonder. The Da Vinci Code grossed better than $750 million worldwide, and its sequel, Angels & Demons, based on a lesser known novel that marked the first appearance of globe-trotting symbologist Robert Langdon, pulled in close to $500 million.

DANNY SAYS: A Portrait Of The Man Behind The Experimental Bands
DANNY SAYS: A Portrait Of The Man Behind The Experimental Bands

Magnolia Pictures brought important documentaries like Blackfish and Food, Inc to the public at large, and now they’re bringing us Danny Says. While Danny Says might not be an activist film meant to make an impact on our present day lives and the world we live in, Danny Fields made a huge impact on the world of music from behind the scenes – and this is his story, directed by Brendan Toller. Experimenting With Rock n Roll As a fan of documentaries, biographies and music, this film was right up my alley.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL: A Scarily Good Horror Prequel
OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL: A Scarily Good Horror Prequel

Is this any way to sell a board game? Hasbro’s perennial moneymaker “Ouija” is the basis of Universal’s micro-budget horror franchise in the making, and it’s hard to imagine a game manufacturer working any harder to discourage people from buying its product. The 2014 release Ouija opened at number one, and a followup was inevitable.