Todd Solondz’s debut feature film from 1995 is still the most painfully accurate depiction of school brutality I’ve seen: the usual parental advice of ‘just ignore them and they’ll go away” never works, simply because bullying is a ritual, and relentless in its targets. So it is for the main character here and target ofContinue reading “Vintage Film Review: Welcome To The Dollhouse”
Tag Archives: Film
Film Review: Crock Of Gold- A Few Rounds With Shane Macgowan
Crock of shit.
Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche
It ‘s tough at the top, and it’s far from easy being the offspring of a punk legend, either. That’s the overarching theme of Celeste Bell and Paul Sing’s critically acclaimed documentary about X Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene. Narrated by Bell herself, who shares a similarly sleepy, childlike drawl with her late mother, thisContinue reading “Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche”
A M3gan Franchise?-No, Thanks
I finally succumbed to the hype surrounding M3gan last night and watched the British TV premiere on Channel 4. Really, I wish I hadn’t. On paper, it sounded perfect for this old goth: a scathing satire/ horror of Artificial Intelligence gone wrong through the actions of a cutesie doll prototype, initially designed as a kindContinue reading “A M3gan Franchise?-No, Thanks”
Overlooked Classics: The Devil and Daniel Johnston
This beautiful documentary by Jeff Feuerzeig focuses on the much missed cult singer songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston, a sensitive and thoughtful portrait of a troubled, gifted soul. Although the director takes a linear, somewhat conventional approach to Johnston’s life, he was absolutely unique, whether drawing comics and painting, or creating his beautiful, brittle music.Continue reading “Overlooked Classics: The Devil and Daniel Johnston”
Film Review: Nope (2022)
When siblings O J and Emerald (Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer) inherit their father’s horse wrangling business following his tragic death, they are also forced to confront bizarre, ectoplasmic alien entities coming from the clouds, threatening earth’s very existence. What to do? Film it, or it didn’t happen, and put it on ‘Oprah’. They are,Continue reading “Film Review: Nope (2022)”
Scream If You Love Nosferatu
Lily-Rose Depp in Nosferatu. Everyone- audiences and critics alike – seemed to adore Robert Eggers’ recent version of Nosferatu, but I must confess it left me bored. It looks beautiful, with a painterly touch homaging the German Expressionism of the 1922 F W Murnau classic. But it feels reductive, style over substance with little newContinue reading “Scream If You Love Nosferatu”
Film Review: Pauline Black: A Two Tone Story
What a brilliant, beautiful and triumphant documentary on The Selecter frontwoman Pauline Black. Directed by Jane Mingay, it’s as unflinching, witty and eloquent as Black herself. It’s not simply a music documentary, it’s also a time capsule of the divided late seventies in Britain, a fascinating insight into the formation of the Thatcher-baiting Black/white movementContinue reading “Film Review: Pauline Black: A Two Tone Story”
Film Review: The Favourite
Ooh, Yorgos Lanthimos and your batshit, genre -defying film oeuvre. Part Peter Greenaway, part Blackadder, The Favourite is another bonkers example of why his work resonates with so many people. Olivia Coleman is Queen Anne, the bratty, capricious monarch whose devotion only extends as far as her collection of rabbits. People mostly deserve contempt, andContinue reading “Film Review: The Favourite”
Film Review: Maisie
There’s a certain kind of Drag on the UK that doesn’t involve death drops and pole dancing. Instead, it falls within the pantomime, vaudeville theatre and cabaret tradition: think singing the songs from A Chorus Line, rather than lip syncing to Lady Gaga. Lee Cooper ‘s warm and low-key film offers the exemplar of thisContinue reading “Film Review: Maisie”
Hit The North 