(UK, 2017) 12th – 25th January, DCA Jowly and squat in stature, Winston Churchill is one of the most recognisable British figures of the twentieth century, a status which draws extra scrutiny to those who would portray him. However, Gary Oldman’s outstanding portrayal of the Prime Minister is nothing short of a masterclass; he perfects Read More
For Stephen Spielberg, the story of a rampant Republican government wielding its power to silence the free press was simply too prescient to reject; the urgency apparent even during Trump's notorious campaign and before his employment of "alternative facts". A believer in objective truth, Spielberg set to work assembling a cast and crew, creating the film Read More
The first thing to mention about Sean Baker’s modern classic The Florida Project is how beautifully understated it is. At no moment does this film feel like it is shoving its contents in your face, desperate to leave a lasting impression. Instead, the performances that capture your attention are at once so subtle, yet Read More
Anyone who has seen The Lobster – which I wholeheartedly recommend you do – will have an inkling of what to expect from Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film. That is if you can imagine the slow, ominous oddity of The Lobster cross-bred with the domestic horror of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games. It is a ghastly, grisly, Read More
Written and directed by one of the hottest screenwriters of the past two decades, Molly’s Game is an explosive, fast-paced drama that seeks to uncover the truth about Molly Bloom. The self-styled “Princess of Poker”, Bloom sought to gain vast sums of money by running illegal poker games in L.A and New York, enticing some Read More
(Belgium, 2017) 24th – 28th September 2017, Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen Covering twenty-four hours in the lives of two families, barricaded in an apartment in war-torn Syria, the latest film from Belgian filmmaker Philippe Van Leeuw is an emotionally fraught affair. It opens with birdsong and the choppy-hum of helicopters and, through a crack in the Read More
(Poland / United Kingdom, 2017) 27th October – 2nd November, DCA Ever since Loving Vincent, the first entirely hand-painted feature film in history was announced, it attracted attention for its ambition from art lovers and novices alike. The first entirely hand-painted feature film in history, it is indeed a marvel to behold; it is simply Read More
(USA, 2017) Successfully capitalising on audience nostalgia is a process which Hollywood hasn’t quite perfected yet. Though recent years have seen reboots and remakes of films such as The Magnificent Seven and Robocop, seldom do these attempts at revitalising a past success recapture the hearts of those enraptured by the original. In part, this is Read More
IT, USA, 2017 It’s been twenty-seven years since IT’s predecessor haunted the silver screen: uncanny coincidence, or deliberate marketing ploy for a story about a monster known to resurface every twenty-seven years? Either way, Andy Muschietti’s interpretation of Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel presents a nostalgic reinvention of an iconic cult classic that takes Read More
The film’s opening title scrawls the word “Mother’” across the screen, the “!” added as an afterthought. The script is handwritten, scrappy and artistic, the accompanying sound effect, sharp and abrasive. If such a perfect microcosm ever presented itself so early in another film, I can’t think of it. Aronofsky’s latest film addresses themes that Read More