Tag: movies
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Cannes Film Festival 2024 roundup
Now that I am so fancy I have been to Cannes twice, I am delighted to report that it is even better the second time around. I knew where things were (mostly), I ate so many pizzas from the same place the owner apologised to me for closing for cataract surgery a few days before…
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Glasgow Film Festival 2024 roundup
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Glasgow and I was delighted to have the opportunity to go back. Viggo Mortensen was very complimentary about the main hall in the Glasgow Film Theatre and he said what I was thinking (and isn’t that kind of celebrity serendipity delightful). However its closing gala, Janey,…
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Berlinale 2024 roundup
This has not been a great year to associate oneself with the Berlinale. The festival got off to a bad start when it invited two right-wing-extremist politicians to the opening ceremonies, a choice which goes against the festival’s own explicit anti-fascist ethos. I have to sign an anti-fascist pledge to be granted my press pass,…
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Sundance 2024 roundup
Once again I’d like to thank the festival for allowing critics to participate remotely. I saw twenty films (three of which earlier in the year) and noticed some pleasing trends: a serious commitment to own-voice storytelling, a full understanding of the ramifications of violence combined with a refusal to let any perpetrators off the hook,…
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2023 in movies
As ever, my review archive is here. In 2023 I attended seven film festivals, only possible because Sundance and Tribeca continue to allow critics to work remotely, as do the London trifecta (Flare, LFF and Raindance) to a limited extent. I also reviewed 127 movies for publication, which is an average of one every three days,…
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Tribeca 2023 roundup
Once again I begin by thanking the festival for allowing people to participate remotely. It’s so nice to be able to participate in a faraway film festival from the comfort of my own laptop. It was a mixed bag, the ones I saw. Melody of Love had a completely fresh setting (Addis Ababa; fresh to…
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RRR
When a movie explodes out of nowhere* and takes the world by storm, it’s usually for a damn good reason. In RRR’s case that’s because it shows the world what a certain style of cinema can do. Telugu cinema, which is not Bollywood, has suddenly exploded into the world’s awareness with RRR, which is a historical biopic, a…
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Confess, Fletch
Confess, Fletch is the kind of solid thriller – with jokes! – that only appeals to adults, so Hollywood rarely makes them anymore