There are worse ways to spend an evening in lockdown than watching Julia Roberts search for enlightenment in Italy, India and Bali.
drama
The Duchess – Film Review
A handsome if somewhat slight period drama based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire and the great-great-great-great aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Shoplifters – Film Review
Palme d’Or-winning Japanese drama about a surrogate family living on the margins of modern Tokyo, Shoplifters lulls you in with its gentle intimate rhythm, before dropping big heart-wrenching twists.
The Lives of Others – Film Review
An engrossing Oscar-winning German thriller about spying, fear and oppression in the East Germany, in the fittingly Orwellian year of 1984.
Center Stage – Film Review
I haven’t been watching many films lately, with the cinemas all shut down and my favourite DVD rentals dying off even earlier, but now I’m finally streaming! This teen dance drama, celebrating its 20th anniversary this May, wasn’t an obvious choice for the first movie to watch on Netflix, but it proved to be an excellent Friday night pick.
The Talented Mr. Ripley – Film Review
I’ve been rewatching some of my old favourites lately, including this underappreciated 1999 thriller written and directed by Anthony Minghella. Though, judging by the amount of online articles that seem to be popping up to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary, maybe it’s not so underappreciated after all.
Marriage Story – Film Review
This divorce drama from writer/director Noah Baumbach, something of a modern take on Kramer vs. Kramer, may not re-invent the wheel but offers an honest, heartfelt, sad and funny look at a failed relationship and its painful aftermath. Moral of the story: if you want an amicable divorce, stay the hell away from the lawyers.
Judy – Film Review
This biopic about Judy Garland’s final 1968 concert run in London has very little to it outside of masterful performance from Renée Zellweger, but what a performance.
Hustlers – Film Review
A somewhat overlong but still fabulously entertaining caper movie about the lesser-known effects of the Global Financial Crisis, with a career-best performance from Jennifer Lopez.
Locke – Film Review
A film about Tom Hardy driving a car late at night and talking to people on the phone. Yep, that’s literally what the movie is about, and it kept me engrossed from start to finish.
