Land: a film of two exiles from society finding friendship and healing
Robin Wright, “Land” (2021) For her directorial debut, US actor Robin Wright chose to do a challenging character study of a bereaved woman, Edee (played by…
Hollywood Films
British Films, North American Films
The Courier: a film of personal growth and suffering and of friendship transcending politics and ideology
Dominic Cooke, “The Courier” (2020) The story of Greville Wynne, a most unlikely character ever to become a spy for MI6 during the Cold War in…
How is This the World: finding authenticity in virtual reality versus real world addiction and escapism
Sadie Rogers, “How is This the World” (2019) Starting out almost as a gritty film noir crime thriller, this short film transforms into a music video…
My Salinger Year: a small-scaled film that never leaves its comfort zone
Philippe Falardeau, “My Salinger Year” (2020) A film about finding your own voice and creative outlet, and being able to express that creativity, “My Salinger Year”…
Some Like It Hot: a cheerful screwball satire about the search for love and security
Billy Wilder, “Some Like It Hot” (1959) Astonishingly this classic Hollywood slapstick comedy still holds up well more than 60 years after its release. The jokes…
Check Please: awkward romantic situation comedy with unattractive characters
Daniel Sorochkin, “Check Please” (2015) A man, Ben (Bryan Manley Davis), takes his girlfriend Laura (Amelia Brain) to evening dinner at a swish restaurant, planning to…
Trunk Space: familiar and predictable story and plot elements redeemed by good performances
Max Silver, “Trunk Space” (2016) As surely as the sun rises in the east, birds fly in the sky and fish swim in the oceans, so…
Chappaquiddick: character study deprived of its wider historical background and significance
John Curran, “Chappaquiddick” (2017) A thoughtful and well-acted film, as the metonym title suggests, this work revolves around the drowning tragedy of Mary Jo Kopechne on…
Eve: choosing between freedom, compassion and responsibility makes an android more human than humans
Josh Bowman, “Eve” (2019) A character-driven sci-fi story with good acting and a strong visual look with a desert setting doesn’t need a fancy budget or…
Satori [Awakening]: post-apocalypse film very much asleep under character stereotypes and a boring plot
Adam K Batchelor, “Satori [Awakening]” (2020) An original and ambitious idea of an Earth re-engineered by Artificial Intelligence to reverse environmental degradation, combined perhaps with genetic…