Good Boy: a film of love, death, grief and deep devotion capable of self-sacrifice
Ben Leonberg, “Good Boy” (2025) For his first film as a director, Ben Leonberg chose an unusual lead actor: his own pet dog, a Nova Scotia…
Horror
British Films, North American Films
28 Years Later: post-apocalyptic horror flick disintegrates with improbable plot and flat characters
Danny Boyle, “28 Years Later” (2025) A much-anticipated entry in the series of films that began 20 years ago with “28 Days Later”, this film of…
Companion: a tale of self-discovery, transformation and freedom in harrowing circumstances of abuse and manipulation
Drew Hancock, “Companion” (2015) A low-budget sci-fi thriller film with a young cast and a deceptively simple, straightforward plot becomes a magnet for commentary on aspects…
Creature from the Black Lagoon: a straightforward plot lends itself to many interpretations
Jack Arnold, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954) For a film of its vintage, made over 70 years ago with a straightforward story and an unremarkable…
Nosferatu (dir. R Eggers): lavish remake in need of better script with sympathetic characters
Robert Eggers, “Nosferatu” (2024) Incredibly the years 2023 and 2024 saw two remakes of F W Murnau’s famous horror silent film “Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des…
Apartment 7A: regurgitating a classic psychological horror film as a boring profit-making exercise
Natalie Erika James, “Apartment 7A” (2024) Essentially a remake of Roman Polanski’s famous psychological horror flick “Rosemary’s Baby”, this film is set just before the events…
British Films, French and French-language Films
The Substance: devastating satirical critique of Western culture’s obsession with surface appearances and material worth
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance” (2024) It may be called “The Substance” but this film’s style – in its boldly colourful (and confrontational) visual style, its minimal…
Jaws: a flimsy story redeemed by good acting and surprisingly powerful themes
Stephen Spielberg, “Jaws” (1975) After nearly 50 years since its release, the big surprise about “Jaws” is that this flick hasn’t aged as much as it…
Longlegs: psychological horror drama of childhood trauma and fanaticism falls flat in silly plot
Osgood Perkins, “Longlegs” (2024) As horror films drawing on past classics like “Silence of the Lambs” go, Osgood Perkins’s “Longlegs” would seem to have a lot…
French and French-language Films, Northern European Films
A Silence: control, complicity, denial and manipulation in a psychological family drama
Joachim Lafosse, “A Silence” (2024) Smooth, sober and straightforward in its minimal style, this Belgian film delivers its punches hard and heavy in its fictional retelling…