Alongside Akira Kurosawa and Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujirō Ozu stands among the most celebrated Japanese filmmakers in history. Born in Tokyo in 1903, Ozu built a career spanning four decades—from the silent era of the 1920s through the transformative 1960s—producing intimate, sharply observed portraits of Japanese life. His films examine family ties, marriage, social expectations and … Read more

Jumbo (2021) Director: Zoé Wittock Screenwriter: Zoé Wittock Starring: Noémie Merlant, Emmanuelle Bercot, Bastien Bouillon At first blush, a story about a woman who falls in love with a fairground ride sounds like an absurd premise for a feature film. Yet Zoé Wittock’s Jumbo treats that premise with sincerity, curiosity and a surprising tenderness. The … Read more

Trainspotting (1996) Director: Danny Boyle Screenwriter: John Hodge Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald Trainspotting stands as a landmark British film and a quintessential work of Scottish cinema. Directed by Danny Boyle and adapted by John Hodge from Irvine Welsh’s novel, the film captures the grit, humor, … Read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Sophie Cook. Penguin Bloom (2021) Director: Glendyn Ivin Screenwriters: Shaun Grant, Harry Cripps Starring: Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Essi Murray-Johnston “It must be weird to have wings but not be able to fly.” Penguin Bloom, released on Netflix, is a quietly … Read more

Pride (2014) stands out as one of the most affecting British films of the 21st century. In just 122 minutes, director Matthew Warchus and screenwriters manage to weave together the 1984–85 miners’ strike, the emerging gay liberation movement, and the early days of the AIDS crisis into a single uplifting and political story. Pride is … Read more

It can be difficult to explain why Laurel & Hardy remain so cherished more than a century after their first Hollywood appearances. They were neither politically driven like Charlie Chaplin nor the athletic daredevils of Buster Keaton. They did not trade on satire the way Abbott & Costello sometimes did, nor were they lauded as … Read more

Minari (2021) Director: Lee Isaac Chung Screenwriter: Lee Isaac Chung Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Cate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, Will Patton A24’s emergence as a powerhouse in independent cinema has introduced audiences to a steady stream of acclaimed filmmakers and memorable films, and Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical drama Minari stands among the … Read more

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Director: Wes Anderson Screenwriters: Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Brian Cox, Owen Wilson After establishing a distinctive voice across five live-action features, Wes Anderson made an unexpected — yet inspired — turn into stop-motion animation with his 2009 adaptation of Roald … Read more

Alive (2020) Director: Jimmy Olsson Screenwriter: Jimmy Olsson Starring: Eva Johansson, Madeleine Martin, Joel Ödmann Swedish writer-director Jimmy Olsson returns with Alive (2020), a tender short that balances warmth and melancholy with subtle humor. Following his earlier short work, Olsson crafts a compact, affective story that centers on connection, choice, and dignity. Shot and paced … Read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Scott Z. Walkinshaw. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Director: Ishirō Honda Screenwriter: Shinichi Sekizawa Starring: Haruo Nakajima, Shoichi Hirose, Ichirō Arishima Note: This is a review of the original Japanese cut. The Godzilla series depends as much on the viewer’s imagination as on what appears … Read more