The Irishman (2019): It wasn’t easy to get 3.5 hours together to watch Scorsese’s latest in one sitting, but I guess that’s what the holidays are for. The captivating tale of Jimmy Hoffa’s demise is worth the runtime – that’s if it wasn’t enough for you to watch De Niro, Pacino and Pesci regardless of… Read more

Knives Out (2019): If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, this flick written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper and Star Wars VIII) is an absolute treat. With a deliciously over-the-top performance from Daniel Craig as ingenue private detective Benoit Blanc, it’s a whodunit with a twist – the viewer finds out the would-be-murderer early… Read more

Shoplifters (2018): There are so many things to like about Hirokazu Koreeda’s 2018 family drama that I don’t even know where to begin. If you’ve seen any of Koreeda’s films, you’ll be familiar with the manner in which he dissects Japanese society and class with a focus on the family unit. In some way, Shoplifters… Read more

The Farewell (2019): There’s nothing like a good meal of family contrivances. In this much praised movie, a US-based Chinese family needs to return home in order to deal with the impending death of their grandmother/mother. The “trick” is that nobody plans to tell said grandmother that she only has a few weeks left to… Read more

Doubles Vies (2018): Pretentious movies stick to me like flies to…cake, so it’s no wonder this talky French flick about books, technology and relationships tickled my fancy. I quite enjoyed Assayas’s previous two movies, Personal Shopper (2016) and Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), but Double Vies is a different adventure altogether. Fast paced, cerebral, yet… Read more

Life (2017): I reviewed Life when it was released two and half years ago, but have been mysteriously drawn to it ever since, in spite of my harsh rating at the time (5/10). For the most part, I stand by my first impression, that the movie is a missed opportunity, in spite of it’s good… Read more

Parasite (2019): It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film with the impact of Parasite. Joon-ho Bong’s latest is a layered, visually striking and emotionally jarring piece of work, filled with social commentary. I don’t even want to go into much detail regarding the plot, other than to say that it all starts with… Read more

Petulia (1968): George C. Scott led me to this little gem of the late 60s, a movie directed by Richard Lester, better known for A Hard Day’s Night (1964), The Three Musketeers (1973) and Superman II (1981). Petulia is a story about marriage and relationships, but it is really much more than that, a story… Read more