Blog Archives

BFI #LFF 2019: THE PERFECT CANDIDATE Film Review

Using warm humour with a lightness of touch, THE PERFECT CANDIDATE is a family drama with a social commentary

3.5 out of 5 stars

Celebrated Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour makes a welcome return to the London Film Festival with her latest feature THE PERFECT CANDIDATE, an inspiring drama about a young doctor unexpectedly becoming an electoral candidate.

Dr Maryam (Mila Alzahrani) is a young Saudi doctor working in a small-town clinic...

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BFI #LFF 2019: LYNN + LUCY Film Review

Deftly handled by Fyzal Boulifa, LYNN + LUCY is an atmospheric and intense drama that hooks you in from the get go

4 out of 5 stars

Acclaimed British shorts director Fyzal Boulifa presents a stark tale of female friendship tested by tragedy his impressive first feature LYNN + LUCY.

Inseparable at school and now living as neighbours and young mothers, Lynn (Roxanne Scrimshaw) and Lucy (Nichola Burley) have been friends their whole lives...

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BFI #LFF 2019: MARRIAGE STORY Film Review

Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in Marriage Story (2019)

Balancing humour with intensely emotional scenes, MARRIAGE STORY is an incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together

3.5 out of 5 stars

If anyone knows how to craft a human story about love, life and family, it’s Noah Baumbach. Back in 2005, the American Director made a film essentially about the divorce of his parents – THE SQUID AND THE WHALE – told from the perspective of a child...

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BFI #LFF 2019: JOJO RABBIT Film Review

Taika Waititi and Roman Griffin Davis in Jojo Rabbit

Combining the absurd and the hilarious, JOJO RABBIT delivers a poignant message about acceptance, love and learning from our past mistakes

4 out of 5 stars

A coming-of-age comedy about a young boy who befriends Hitler as his imaginary friend hardly sounds like a Hollywood hit but anyone can pull it off, its Taika Waititi...

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BFI #LFF 2019: SID & JUDY Film Review

Judy Garland in SID & JUDY

Fusing film clips and rare concert footage with revealing excerpts from personal recordings, SID & JUDY is a poignant portrait of the late, great Judy Garland

4 out of 5 stars

Hot on the heels of the recent release of new biopic JUDY starring Renee Zewelleger, London Film Festival regular Stephen Kijak pays tribute to the late, great showbiz legend Judy Garland in his latest documentary SID & JUDY.

Inspired by the autobiography of her third husband Sid Luft, SID & JUDY takes a revealing new look at the latter...

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BFI #LFF 2019: COLD CASE HAMMARSKJOLD Film Review

Göran Björkdahl and Mads Brügger in Cold Case Hammarskjöld (2019)

Playing like a first-rate thriller, COLD CASE HAMMARSKJOLD is an ambitious piece of work which makes for gripping viewing

3 out of 5 stars

They say that the truth is stranger than fiction yet Mads Brügger’s latest true-crime documentary COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD couldn’t get much stranger if it tried.

Best described as a documentary thriller, COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD follows Danish director Mads Brügger and Swedish private investigator Göran Björkdahl as they try to solve the mysterious death of Dag Hammarsk...

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BFI #LFF 2019: BURNING NIGHT (BREVE MIRAGEM DE SOL) Film Review

BURNING NIGHT (BREVE MIRAGEM DE SOL) Film Still

Eryk Rocha’s latest feature BURNING NIGHT is a poignant and persuasive piece about loneliness, survival and the quest for reinvention

3 out of 5 stars

The vibrant, volatile and rapidly changing city of Rio de Janeiro is vividly captured in Eryk Rocha’s latest feature film BURNING NIGHT, a poignant and persuasive portrait about the nocturnal encounters of a down-on-his-luck cab driver.

In order to pay for the child support he needs to send to his ex-wife Livia, recently divorced Paulo (Fabricio Boliveira) s...

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BFI #LFF 2019: AXONE Film Review

Sayani Gupta as Upasna in AXONE

When given time to breathe, Nicholas Kharkongor’s AXONE packs an emotional punch, turning this light-hearted and bittersweet comedy into something much more poignant and resonant

3.5 out of 5 stars

Following the success of his debut film MANTRA, filmmaker Nicholas Kharkongor returns to the big screen with his latest film AXONE, a bittersweet comedy about love, friendship and overcoming prejudice.

Set on a hot summer’s day, AXONE follows Upasna and Chanbi, two friends who want to prepare a special North Easter...

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Theatre Review: & JULIET – Opera House, Manchester

Miriam Teak-Lee and the cast of & JULIET.

Miriam Teak-Lee as Juliet and the cast of & JULIET. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Fresh, vibrant and fun, & JULIET is one of the most inventive musicals of the year

5 out of 5 stars

It’s fair to say that everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare’s tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers has been reimagined, redefined and reinvented so many times that it’s almost impossible to deliver something new...

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INTERVIEW: Director Kimberley Sykes Talks AS YOU LIKE IT

Lucy Phelps as Rosalind in AS YOU LIKE IT

Lucy Phelps as Rosalind in RSC’s AS YOU LIKE IT. Photo Credit: Christopher McGrillis

Director Kimberley Sykes talks about directing RSC’s riotous and exhilarating new production of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy AS YOU LIKE IT

Following its successful run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Shakespeare Company returns to the Lowry to present a trio of plays including AS YOU LIKE IT.

Written by William Shakespeare, AS YOU LIKE IT sees Rosalind and her cousin Celi...

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