Manchester by the Sea, 2016. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan. Starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges and Tate Donovan. SYNOPSIS: An uncle is forced to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies. Densely absorbing and richly enveloping, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s third feature is a melancholic but undeniably human portrait of grief, […]
60th BFI London Film Festival 2016 Review – King Cobra (2016)
King Cobra, 2016. Directed by Justin Kelly. Starring Garrett Clayton, Christian Slater, Keegan Allen, James Franco, Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald. SYNOPSIS: Based on the true story of Sean Lockhart A.K.A Brent Corrigan, an up and coming gay porn star who shot to fame only to run into legal disputes with his producer, which eventually took […]
59th BFI London Film Festival Review – Steve Jobs (2015)
Steve Jobs, 2015 Directed by Danny Boyle Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Katherine Waterston, Michael Stuhlberg and Jeff Daniels SYNOPSIS: Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint a portrait of […]
59th London Film Festival Review – The End of the Tour (2015)
The End of the Tour, 2015 Directed by James Ponsoldt Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky, Mamie Gummer, Mikey Sumner, Ron Livingston and Joan Cusack SYNOPSIS: The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s […]
59th BFI London Film Festival Review – The Lobster (2015)
The Lobster, 2015 Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen and John C. Reilly SYNOPSIS: In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five […]
59th BFI London Film Festival Review – Room (2015)
Room, 2015. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Tom McCamus, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson and William H. Macy SYNOPSIS: After 5-year old Jack and his Ma escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery: the outside world. Good morning bed. […]
59th BFI London Film Festival Review – A Bigger Splash (2015)
A Bigger Splash, 2015 Directed by Luca Guadagnino Starring Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts and Ralph Fiennes SYNOPSIS: The vacation of a famous rock star and a filmmaker is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter. From the lush opening moments of A Bigger Splash, acclaimed director Luca Guadagnino’s […]
59th BFI London Film Festival Review – Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Beasts of No Nation, 2015 Directed by Cary Fukunaga Starring Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Abraham Attah, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, and Opeyemi Fagbohungbe SYNOPSIS: Agu, a boy in an unnamed West African country, falls into the clutch of a murderous child soldier army led by a passionate and influential leader. Beasts are fearsome. Creatures of […]
59th BFI London Film Festival Opening Gala Review: Suffragette (2015)
Suffragette, 2015. Directed by Sarah Gavron. Starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep. SYNOPSIS: In 1913 London, a young laundress (Mulligan) is swept into the Women’s Vote movement just as it begins to boil into militant activism. Deliberately not a biopic of Emmeline Pankhurst or indeed of any of […]
61st BFI London Film Festival Review – Veronica (2017)
Veronica, 2017. Directed by Paco Plaza. Starring Sandra Escacena, Bruna Gonzalez, and Claudia Pacer. SYNOPSIS: Madrid, 1991. A teen girl finds herself besieged by an evil supernatural force after she played Ouija with two classmates. In 2007 Spanish director Paco Plaza obliterated audiences’ nerves with found-footage zombie horror REC. Co-directed by Jaume Balaguero the movie […]
