Birdman, 2014. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis and Naomi Watts. SYNOPSIS: Riggan Thomas (Michael Keaton) attempts to distance himself from his famous role as the superhero, Birdman by staging a Broadway play adaptation of Raymond Carver’s ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love‘. In […]
Leeds International Film Festival 2014 Review – Birdman (2014)
Birdman, 2014. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Starring Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Amy Ryan, Andrea Riseborough and Naomi Watts. SYNOPSIS: A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory. Birdman, Alejandro […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Assassin (2015)
The Assassin, 2015. Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou. Starring Qi Shu, Chen Chang and Satoshi Tsumabuki. SYNOPSIS: An assassin in 7th century China accepts a mission to kill a political leader. Arthouse martial arts is a problematic concept. On the one hand, ‘arthouse’ suggests serious, high-minded fare; on the other, ‘martial arts’ conjures up thoughts of […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Assassin (2015)
The Assassin, 2015. Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou. Starring Qi Shu, Chen Chang and Satoshi Tsumabuki. SYNOPSIS: An assassin in 7th century China accepts a mission to kill a political leader. The Assassin is not the film you’re expecting it to be. In that way, many will be disappointed. It’s not Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Youth (2015)
Youth, 2015. Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano. SYNOPSIS: Conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) spends his retirement at a luxury hotel in the Alps, when he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip’s birthday. Meanwhile, his best friend, film director Mick Boyle […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Black Mass (2015)
Black Mass, 2015. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard and Dakota Johnson. SYNOPSIS: The true story of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the notorious gangster who used his status as a FBI informant under John Connolly to take over South Boston. Black Mass is a very strange film. It’s a […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Black Mass (2015)
Black Mass, 2015. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard and Dakota Johnson. SYNOPSIS: The true story of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the notorious gangster who used his status as a FBI informant under John Connolly to take over South Boston. In Scott Cooper’s Black Mass, there is no protagonist. […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Witch (2015)
The Witch, 2015. Directed by Robert Eggers. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie. SYNOPSIS: A family of settlers is slowly torn apart by supernatural forces in 1630s New England. ‘The scariest film of all time / the year / in decades’ is a phrase that appears on the posters of every single horror […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Brooklyn (2015)
Brooklyn, 2015. Directed by John Crowley. Starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters. SYNOPSIS: An Irish immigrant lands in 1950’s Brooklyn for a fresh start and falls in love. But when tragedy forces her to return home, she must choose between the two countries and the lives and loves within them. Being […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – In The Crosswind (2014)
In The Crosswind, 2014. Directed by Martti Helde. Starring Ingrid Isotamm, Mirt Preegel, Laura Peterson, Tarmo Song and Einar Hillep. SYNOPSIS: In 1941, an Estonian woman and her young daughter struggle to find their way home after being deported to Siberia by the Soviet occupiers, in this dreamlike saga of survival inspired by a true […]
