The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review: are we there yet?
Smaug is a magnificent cinematic creation… but there’s no good reason it takes so damn long to get to him.
reviews
Homefront review: ridiculous yet predictable yet kinda fun
Jason Statham teams up with another badass little girl… which makes him almost warm and charming as he kicks the crap out of villains.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom review
Bit of a shame that a man who looms so large in the hearts and minds of so many has been packed neatly away into a film that is handsome, respectable, and just a tad stodgy.
An Adventure in Space and Time review: making history
Mark Gatiss treats the legends of Doctor Who’s creation as only a longtime fan can, in a lovely tribute full of the exasperated acceptance that rose-tinted hindsight brings.
Dom Hemingway review
Jude Law is wonderfully deranged and utterly plausible as a rage-filled moron, but the movie leaves him adrift amongst unrealized satire…
Carrie review: women who hate women
I’m struck by the perversity of a story four decades old about religious misogyny and basic feminism and the perniciousness of bullying that still feels fresh and relevant…
Parkland review (London Film Festival)
This poignant and painful ensemble drama about the lesser-known figures caught up in the JFK assassination reminds us that history happens to regular people, too.
Philomena review: suffer the women
A cry-till-you-laugh-dramedy about seeking lost family and finding new purpose; Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are fantastic. Seriously, though: bring Kleenex.
Frozen review: I have chills
The showstopping central musical number is a glorious anthem to female power and ability… and so, in fact, is the whole wonderful movie. Disney is finally getting it. (new DVD/VOD US/Can)
The Counsellor review
Almost, but not quite, hilariously demented — if accidentally so — drama about sex and death, and why not to get involved with drug cartels.
