09 Apr 2021
Songs My Brothers Taught Me review – Chloé Zhao’s deeply moving debut
Finally granted a UK release six years after its festival debut, this drama lays the groundwork for its director's future masterworks
Articles by Jack Blackwell
Favourite films: Apocalypse Now, The Social Network, No Country For Old Men
Favourite actors: Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Willem Dafoe
Favourite filmmakers: Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan
09 Apr 2021
Sound of Metal review – Riz Ahmed energises a predictable drummer drama
The Oscar-nominated actor plays a musician struck down by a sudden condition, anchoring a fascinating but sometimes staid film
05 Apr 2021
Concrete Cowboy review – fascinating setting meets a generic tale
This deep dive into the tradition of Black cowboys features brilliant worldbuilding but is undercut by a bland father-son story
02 Apr 2021
The Night review – subtle scares at a haunted hotel
The first US-produced film to be released in Iran since 1979, this stylish but repetitive horror has the air of an endless nightmare
01 Apr 2021
Minari review – clever and warm-hearted family drama
Steven Yeun is superb in Lee Isaac Chung's evocative tale of the American Dream, but young actor Alan S. Kim steals the show
30 Mar 2021
The Mauritanian review – gripping legal drama examines the horrors of Guantanamo
A powerful lead performance and a righteous rage drive this moving film about the human cost of the USA's sadistic foreign policy
26 Mar 2021
Tom & Jerry review – beloved duo get a screechingly irritating reboot
Failing to capture any of the wit of the original cartoons, this is the rare film that kids will hate as much as their parents
26 Mar 2021
Memories of My Father review – heartfelt memoir of a Colombian family
This richly detailed portrait of activist Hector Abad Gomez is moving and well-acted, though is sometimes foiled by slow pacing
22 Mar 2021
An Impossible Project review – charming doc on the future of retro
This deep dive into the life of an analogue tech-loving scientist may try your patience, but it overflows with infectious enthusiasm
13 Mar 2021
Verdict review – doggedly realistic Filipino domestic abuse drama
Fiery in its convictions but often sluggish in its pacing, this bold debut is an unpleasant watch that will reward attentive audiences
10 Mar 2021
Cherry review – joyfully manic and utterly unique thriller
Freed from the MCU, the Russos deliver a deeply strange tale of war, trauma, and hopelessness, with Tom Holland on incredible form
09 Mar 2021
Judas and the Black Messiah review – a biopic almost as subversive as its subjects
Three magnetic lead performances anchor a psychologically and politically bold drama that uses tonal whiplash as a weapon