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FINDING YOUR FEET: Pensioner Dramedy Is Surprisingly Moving
FINDING YOUR FEET: Pensioner Dramedy Is Surprisingly Moving

Though it is too perfectly machine-tooled to appeal to British pensioners, Finding Your Feet is a charming and funny ride.

Were you familiar with Mary Magdalene before you read the script? Garth Davis: Not in a deep, detailed way, but in the movies I have seen before and in the way everyone kind of understands. When I read this it was a completely different version, so that got me curious. I started to investigate it in a deeper way and found it astonishing it has taken us so long to put that story out there in a more popular light. Extraordinary really. It was definitely different than the story I grew up reading in the bible. I remember when the Passion of the Christ came out, an actor got struck by lightening during shooting. Anything like that happen on set for you? Garth Davis: There were a couple of pretty amazing moments. When we were shooting the scene of the exorcism, where the family was exorcising Mary in the Sea of Galilee, just before we were about to walk into the water the wind just completely stopped. Completely still, almost on cue, right? Then suddenly lightening appeared all over the ocean. It was unbelievable! So much so, that when shooting the scene I had to paint it out. It just felt like a trope, you know? People would have thought it was a visual effect. [laughs] Wow!Garth Davis: The other one was during a scene on the beach of Magdala. I did a drawing of the location and I wanted to add some smoke in the background. So we went down to the Recee, and as I was standing there, smoke emerged exactly where I was drawing it (laughs). It was one of those moments where you have to ask if something was guiding us in some way.
MARY MAGDALENE: A Surprisingly Secular Biblical Tale

Garth Davis proves once again his skills behind the camera can help uplift middlebrow material, but only to a certain extent, Mary Magdalene significantly undercut by the increased familiarity and conventional storytelling.

Oldman, Take A Look At My Life: A Salute To My Hero
Oldman, Take A Look At My Life: A Salute To My Hero

With the upcoming likelihood of an Oscar for Darkest Hour, we look back at Gary Oldman’s over three decade long memorable career.

DARK RIVER: Social Realism At Its Most Atmospheric
DARK RIVER: Social Realism At Its Most Atmospheric

Dark River feels more like a transitional gateway to better films, bridging the gap between Clio Barnard’ older social realist efforts and flirtations with experimental works likely to come.

JOURNEY'S END: A Hard-Hitting Tribute To Heroes
JOURNEY’S END: A Hard-Hitting Tribute To Heroes

Powered by memorable performances and Saul Dibb’s sobering deconstruction of the individuals who fought for their country, the engrossing Journey’s End is a hard-nosed, hard-hitting centennial tribute to Britain’s heroes.

THE RITUAL: Four Hikers Retread Through Other Horror Movies
THE RITUAL: Four Hikers Retread Through Other Horror Movies

If you’re looking to be scared, then The Ritual may satisfy that itch. Just know that you’ll probably have seen it already, in one horror film or another.

THE MERCY: Watered Down, But Far From Lost At Sea
THE MERCY: Watered Down, But Far From Lost At Sea

Like the old maxim about waiting all day for a bus only for two to…

THE PARTY: Accept The Invite To Sally Potter's British Black-Comedy
THE PARTY: Accept The Invite To Sally Potter’s British Black Comedy

From the riotous to the poignant, Sally Potter’s The Party taps into the state-of-the-nation with a smart, sharp comedy populated with hilarious characters and brought to life by a truly fantastic cast.

JUST CHARLIE: Willing Empathy Into Being

Director Rebekah Fortune’s Just Charlie is an empathetic transgender coming out tale that slowly becomes a moving story of self-acceptance.

EARLY MAN: Aardman Animation's Worst Effort To Date
EARLY MAN: Aardman Animation’s Worst Effort To Date

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.

PADDINGTON 2: A Warm, Furry Hug of a Movie
PADDINGTON 2: A Warm, Furry Hug Of A Movie

Paddington 2 is the rare sequel that is better than the original, filled with a good natured warmth that will delight children and parents alike.

DARKEST HOUR: The Capolavoro Of Gary Oldman’s Nonpareil Career

With impeccable direction, engaging dialogue, consummate costume and makeup, and one of the best performances ever to grace the silver screen by Oldman, Darkest Hour is an overwhelming achievement.

CROOKED HOUSE: Christie Goes Postmodern
CROOKED HOUSE: Christie Goes Postmodern

Crooked House was one of Agatha Christie’s best novels- so it’s a treat to finally see this subversive work translated to the big screen.

ANGELICA: An Absorbing and Unusual Victorian Ghost Story
ANGELICA: An Absorbing & Unusual Victorian Ghost Story

It may have been sat on the shelf for three years, but Angelica is worth the wait- a slow burning period piece that’s quietly powerful.

FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL: Sparks Fly In Solid Biopic
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL: Sparks Fly In Solid Biopic

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool is not a faultless affair, but the central love story and performances make up for its minor flaws.