If you thought a film following a man’s weekend after discovering he’s ill couldn’t be charming, funny, tender, warm and thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end, journalist turned filmmaker Pauline Loquès will change your mind. And your hearts, forever.
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Cannes Gem: A review of 'Urchin' by Harris Dickinson
A film that, aside from its spellbinding leading man and touching crucial themes about the habits that bring us down, again and again, also begs the question: “Who do the streets of London belong to? Those who thread upon them or those who call them home?”
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To be Muslim, French and Queer: 'The Little Sister' Cannes review
What do you do when you don’t see people like you represented in French literature? Well, if you are Fatima Daas, you write a character that has never been shown before — a lesbian, Muslim young woman, first generation French daughter of Algerian immigrants. And then, a great filmmaker and actress like Hafsia Herzi might make it into a film that ends up in Cannes, in Competition. Well, this is what happened.
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Tom Cruise must need a nap after 'Mission: Impossible -- The Final Reckoning'
He runs across London, dives to the depth of the Baltic Sea, flies through the South African sky, most of the time outside an airplane, and never misses a beat — and I was exhausted just watching him do it all…
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The power of one, letter: 'The Extraordinary Miss Flower' review
If I were to sum up this wondrously dreamy doc in a couple of words, I would say it’s a hippie, trippy psychedelic cinematic joy of a film, and one you should not dare to miss.
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To be young, gifted and... gay! A review of Iair Said's 'Most People Die on Sundays'
A personal tale based on the filmmaker’s own experience centering around the death of his father, this succinct film mixes a successful blend of realism, absurdity, comedy and drama to create a wondrous work of the Seventh Art.
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The brothers hanging out in ‘The Accountant 2’, courtesy of Warner Bros.
I'll give you one, no make that 2 good reasons to watch 'The Accountant 2' with Ben Affleck
Do you really want to know what those are? Well, for one, the brothers’ duo the American star creates along with Jon Bernthal is cinematic chemistry 101. And the other reason? Read on!
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A photo of the Weber siblings in Bremerhaven, Germany in 1946
Courage decoded: Beth Lane's 'UnBroken' is the film you need to watch on Netflix
A film which tells the real story of seven Jewish siblings, separated by war and reunited after 40 years, helped by the kindness of strangers along the way, and told by the miraculous offspring of the youngest sister. And now you can watch this inspirational gem on Netflix, starting on Holocaust Remembrance Day — April 23rd.
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Worst work if you can get it! Why I love Bong Joon-ho's 'Mickey 17'
Beyond the sci-fi comedy starring Robert Pattinson, in the story of a man who gets reprinted in 3D every time he dies — and comes out of the machine with the same quirks and patterns of a regular paper printer — there lies a profound film about learning to live with all parts of our personality — even those we may not always like.
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Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry in a still from the film, photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
'The Fire Inside' review: The true life story of a modern, strong, unapologetic and beautiful woman
Winning doesn’t always bring about happiness and success. So the tale of gold winning boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields teaches us, in a new film written by Barry Jenkins and directed by Rachel Morrison, coming to UK cinemas on February 7th.
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"It's really a human story": Billy Bob Thornton on Taylor Sheridan's upcoming series 'Landman'
‘Landman’ is a “ten-hour movie” starring a stellar cast and featuring a story we may think we know, but really don’t — Big Oil, seen from the viewpoint of the proverbial little man.
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Fink, Roz and Pinktail in ‘The Wild Robot’, courtesy of DreamWorks Animation
Kindness is a superpower: 'The Wild Robot' review
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but feel free to judge this magnificent film by its spellbinding still above.
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Saleh Bakri in a still from Farah Nabulsi's 'The Teacher'
The power of nuances: Farah Nabulsi's 'The Teacher' UK release review
At the core of the Oscar-nominated filmmaker’s first feature is a clear understanding of the power of the perpetually perpetrated injustice on the Palestinian people.
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Why Karim Aïnouz's reworking of Katherine Parr's story in 'Firebrand' is the most important film you'll watch this fall
Ever wonder why there are only male leaders and visionaries mentioned in your history books? Well, the key lies in the word itself — “his-story.” Thankfully, a film releasing this September in the UK revolutionizes the tale of Henry VIII and his last wife, by retelling the story from her POV.
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'Catapults to Cameras' review: changing the world, five kids at a time
When Kolkata-born wildlife filmmaker Ashwika Kapur traveled to rural Bengal, she stumbled upon a disturbing hunting trend being passed on to the younger generations. What she chose to do next sends a powerful message, through her short but strong new documentary.
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Photo by © Akis Bado, used with permission
Locarno Golden Leopard winner 'Toxic' by Saulė Bliuvaitė reviewed
The film, which was awarded top prize by a jury chaired by Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner, was also the winner in the separately juried First Feature Competition.
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Bérénice Béjo and Matheo Labbé in a still from ‘Mexico 86’
Review of 'Mexico 86' by César Diaz: A film with its heart in the perfect place
The fictionalized, yet personal story of the troubled relationship between the filmmaker and his own mother, ‘Mexico 86’ offers a viewpoint into the price women pay when trying to balance motherhood, and a revolution.
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My hacks for learning to love Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Kinds of Kindness' -- a quick review
Hint: it’s a film all about reinvention, rebirth but also the dynamics of control.
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Redefining the Hero: Laura Poitras' 2017 film 'Risk' and the True Julian Assange
This review of the film was originally posted on the HuffPost, in May of 2017 as the film was opening in the US. I felt this film is more poignant than ever, as Assange is finally released and returns to his home country.
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'Being Maria' Cannes Review: A problematic woman or simply someone who dared to call it like it is?
Cinematic, albeit scandalous history was made in 1972 when Bernardo Bertolucci’s ‘Last Tango in Paris’ was first screened. Now French filmmaker Jessica Palud, with the help of a book written by Maria Schneider’s cousin, retells the story to finally bring out the heroine in a woman who simply stood up for herself. And, as is often the case for strong women, lost.
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