2010s

LONDON FIELDS: A Sloppy Thriller Full Of Squandered Potential
LONDON FIELDS: A Sloppy Thriller Full Of Squandered Potential

London Fields feels like it’s trying to accomplish too much, and as a result, accomplishes very little.

Film Fest 919: BOY ERASED: Conventional Awards Fare Has Moments Of Sensitivity
Film Fest 919: BOY ERASED: Conventional Awards Fare Has Moments Of Sensitivity

Boy Erased is a sturdy drama with some touching moments and strong performances, enhanced by much-needed glimpses of dramatic sensitivity within the confines of a tough story.

DYING TO LIVE: The Waiting Game
DYING TO LIVE: The Waiting Game

Richard Todd’s Dying to Live is a sincere portrait of the state of Australian organ donation, a weirdly taboo topic with the highest of stakes.

SOUL TO KEEP: A Sisyphean Tale Of Demonic Possession
SOUL TO KEEP: A Sisyphean Tale Of Demonic Possession

Soul to Keep is a horror tale about sadistic ritualism that, whilst having its heart in the right place, struggles to break free from the shackles of genre conformity. 

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN: A New Low For British Comedy
JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN: A New Low For British Comedy

If you belong to nearly any demographic, Johnny English Strikes Again will serve as a colossal letdown, and leave you contemplating how Rowan Atkinson could enter such a slump.

GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN: A Fun Distraction That Doesn’t Quite Come Together

If you have children who are itching for a cinema trip during the spooky season, there have been much worse offerings than Goosebumps 2 in the past.

NIGHT SCHOOL: A Dull, Uninspired Comedy

Night School is unforgiveably bland. It’s difficult to care about anything that happens, because the jokes are so flat, and the characters so dull.

THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN: A Worthy Swan Song For Robert Redford
THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN: A Worthy Swan Song For Robert Redford

The Old Man and the Gun is a love letter to many things: the 1970s/early ’80s, the aging outlaw trope so often seen in Westerns, and to film itself.

THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: Maggie Gyllenhaal Towers Over Tough, Uncomfortable Drama
THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: Maggie Gyllenhaal Towers Over Tough, Uncomfortable Drama

The Kindergarten Teacher is expertly magnetic as a vessel for a cringe-worthy effect of its own making, and with a strong central performance by Maggie Gyllenhaal as well.

BETTER START RUNNING: Intriguing Cast Wasted In A Meandering Road Caper
BETTER START RUNNING: Intriguing Cast Wasted In A Meandering Road Caper

Better Start Running feels like a cliched indie – fitted head to toe with an ever-present oddball ensemble cast – taking to the road for an adventure.

Film Fest 919 Part 2: THE OLD MAN & THE GUN, THEY'LL LOVE ME WHEN I'M DEAD & WHAT THEY HAD
Film Fest 919 Part 2: THE OLD MAN & THE GUN, THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD & WHAT THEY HAD

For this latest report from Film Fest 919, we into Robert Redford’s final film, the documentary about Orson Welles, and a Hillary Swank-starring drama.

KILLER KATE!: A Horror Comedy Lacking In Both
KILLER KATE!: A Horror Comedy Lacking In Both

Killer Kate! is silly and toneless – although flawed, it may be the calling card for debut filmmaker Elliot Feld for more suitable projects to come.

THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING: A Colorful Glimpse Inside The Art Auction Bubble

As glossy, glamorous and fast-paced as the auctions it focuses on, The Price of Everything is a fun look inside an elite world that few of us could ever imagine entering.

RODIN: Another Genius Antihero Biopic Lacking the Imagination Of Its Subject

Rodin portrays its titular character as a fiery genius who is much better interacting with lumps of clay than he is with human beings. For an artist biopic, this is both predictable and exhausting.

CANIBA: An Anthropological Profile Of A Real-Life Dracula
CANIBA: An Anthropological Profile Of A Real-Life Dracula

Caniba is a disturbing film about human loneliness that feels rare in documentary’s contemporary canon.