Side by Side review (London Film Festival) (world premiere)
Misses more marks than it attempts to hit, but there’s a refreshing sweetness to this child’s-eye view of grief and tragedy.
dramedy
The Spectacular Now review (London Film Festival)
Stark and gritty, this may be the most down-to-earth teen romance ever, filled with touches of unpredictable, inescapable reality.
The Kings of Summer review
Mashes a heightened sense of the absurd rather awkwardly up against arty pastoral, and the mock-seriousness of the endeavor comes across as unpleasantly snide.
In a World… review: the sound of her voice
A fresh, funny slice-of-life, casually cutting in its feminism and utterly charming in its storytelling.
About Time review: creep trick
Arbitrary and inconsistent rules of time travel in aid of creepy romantic manipulation and temporal stalking. But hey, at least it’s got Bill Nighy!
The Way, Way Back review: how to escape from your family
One of the more achingly poignant stories of awkward (male) adolescence I’ve seen. Sam Rockwell steals this movie more than he has ever stolen a movie before.
The Lone Ranger review: weak whiskey
Limp and lifeless, this overlong and undercooked would-be blockbuster cannot focus on either the hard-edged realities or the magical mysteries it toys with.
Frances Ha review: girl uninterrupted
Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig have carved out, with effortless elegance and ease, a cinematic space for a woman to be, unapologetically, herself.
Reality review: television becomes us
Italian satire amusingly sends up our obsession with reality TV, but not in a wholly satisfying way.
Girl Most Likely review: you can go home again, but it’ll probably suck
Absolutely hilarious and absolutely heartbreaking. Kristen Wiig is brilliant. (new DVD/VOD US/Can)
