Author: Juliette Howard
-

Riefenstahl (2024) – portrait of Hitler’s personal film director is fascinating if slightly biased
“Memory is the paradise from which you can never be removed”, writes Leni Riefenstahl in one of her…
-

The Surfer (2024) – Nicolas Cage just can’t catch a break (or wave) in hallucinogenic Australian thriller
Nicolas Cage navigates choppy waters in this bonkers Australian flick about a man so determined to join the…
-

Vingt Dieux (Holy Cow) (2024) – Debut about young dairy farmers is as tender as it is wistful
There is very little forgiveness to be found in Louise Courvoisier’s debut Vingt Dieux (Holy Cow), a story…
-

The Penguin Lessons (2025) – Adaptation of Tom Michell’s memoir plays between the feel good and existential with grace
There’s something quite magnetic about films staging a curmudgeonly man being forced out of his comfort zone. The…
-

Sinners (2025) – Ryan Coogler’s thriller bites off more than it can chew
Ryan Coogler has successfully broken out of Marvel with Sinners, a southern gothic horror that bites off more…
-

Drop (2025) – Unoriginal high-strung thriller is entertainment without substance
Meghann Fahy stars in this nail-biting thriller from screenwriter and director Christopher Landon, a far cry from his…
-

Mickey 17 (2025) – Bong Joon Ho’s dark dystopia is strangely comforting to watch
It’s striking how such a dark concept can be so delightful. On a human expedition to colonize the…
-

The Last Showgirl (2024) – Pamela Anderson airbrushes her razzle dazzle life in Gia Coppola’s tragic drama
We are in an age of ageing women on camera – first came Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, in…
-

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2025) – Lovelorn heroine ages beautifully in sucker punch of a fourth instalment
Bridget Jones has always been, and always will be, the epitome of the struggling singleton in her thirties…
-

Emilia Pérez (2024) – Jacques Audiard’s hot mess takes the music out of the musical
Though comparing a film to others is not necessarily the best way to go about reviewing it, it…
-

A Real Pain (2025) – Jesse Eisenberg’s touching call to feel more deeply
A Real Pain begs the question – how efficient is a film that tucks you into an emotional…
-

Hard Truths (2024) – Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s Pansy is a bottomless well in Mike Leigh’s return to the big screen
There are surprisingly few hard truths to be found in Mike Leigh’s latest release, a tale of a…
-

Queer (2024) – Daniel Craig takes a bad trip in Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William S. Burroughs
Daniel Craig is ravenous in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, an adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novella of the same…
-

12 Films of Christmas – Numbers 3 to 1
3. Woman of the Hour – three bachelors Anna Kendrick adds remarkable directing to her panoply of skills…
-

12 Films of Christmas – Numbers 6-4
6. Kneecap – rappers rapping “A country without a language is only half a nation,” declares an activist…
-

12 Films of Christmas – Numbers 9 to 7
9. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – inventors inventing (yet more stuff his poor dog has to…
-

12 Films of Christmas – or, a colloquial recounting of my mission (à la Santa) to watch and rank twelve 2024 releases
12. Red One – security guards guarding Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson adequately stars as Callum Drift, the North…
-

Conclave (2024) – Ralph Fiennes leads Edward Berger’s excellent cardinal cat fight
Ralph Fiennes leads a star-studded cast with the perfect blend of hesitation and conviction in Edward Berger’s papal…
-

Paddington in Peru (2024) – Threequel takes furry hero on an enjoyable, if slightly muddled adventure
Hold onto your red-stained bucket hats – everyone’s favourite British bear is back on the big screen. The…
Recent Posts
- Cannes Film Festival: Ulysse (2026) – Un Certain Regard’s closing film is a beautiful ode to the love of a mother for her child
- Cannes Film Festival: Victorian Psycho (2026) – Zachary Wigon is a fresh voice in horror
- Cannes Film Festival: Histoires de la Nuit (2026) – classic home invasion tale is a thrill ride with faults
Social Media
Looking for a film to watch?





