This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by The CineBlog’s Sophie Butcher. Black Christmas (2019) Director: Sophia Takal Screenwriters: Sophia Takal, April Wolfe Starring: Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Caleb Eberhardt, Cary Elwes Black Christmas returns the sorority slasher to campus with a distinctly feminist edge. Directed by Sophia Takal and led … Read more
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) Director: Jeremiah Chechik Screenwriter: John Hughes Starring: Chevy Chase, Beverley D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicholas Guest Christmas movies have become a distinct and beloved film category, offering everything from tender, tear-jerking dramas to warm romantic comedies. Classics like It’s a Wonderful Life(1946) and contemporary favorites … Read more
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) Director: Rian Johnson Screenwriter: Rian Johnson Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac At about 1 hour and 11 minutes into The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren experience a Force connection that stands out for its subtlety and visual … Read more
As if the run-up to Christmas weren’t stressful enough, the government has compounded our seasonal misery — with long shopping lists and shrinking pay packets — by scheduling a General Election for 12 December. Yes, another one. The latter half of the 2010s has been defined by global political instability, and in the UK the … Read more
The nominees for the 77th Golden Globe Awards were announced live on 9 December 2019 from the Beverly Hilton in Hollywood, California. The announcements were made by actors Tim Allen, Dakota Fanning and Susan Kelechi Watson. Several films earned multiple nominations, with titles such as Joker and The Irishman among those highlighted with major category … Read more
Martin Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, reached an estimated 17.1 million viewers on Netflix in its opening week after its 27 November release. Nielsen reports suggest that those viewing figures equate to roughly $155 million at the North American box office, about $20 million more than Scorsese’s previous biggest hit, The Departed. Of the 13 … Read more
The annual European Film Awards (EFAs) took place in Berlin on Saturday, 7 December 2019. The ceremony celebrated the best in European cinema, with Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-winning dark comedy The Favourite emerging as the evening’s biggest winner. The period dramedy captured multiple major awards and led the night with an impressive eight wins overall. The … Read more
Knives Out (2019) Director: Rian Johnson Screenwriter: Rian Johnson Starring: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer Rian Johnson has a knack for taking familiar genres and bending them into something fresh. With Knives Out he reimagines the classic whodunnit—not by merely repeating tropes, … Read more
The motorsport film is a difficult brief to fulfil. Racing movies must appeal both to dedicated fans who demand technical authenticity and to general audiences who want a compelling human story. That balance is hard to strike, especially in a cultural moment when motorsport can seem less fashionable amid environmental concerns. All the more reason … Read more
This review was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by The CineBlog’s Sophie Butcher. Charlie’s Angels (2019) Director: Elizabeth Banks Screenwriters: Elizabeth Banks, Evan Spiliotopoulos, David Auburn Starring: Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska, Naomi Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart In Elizabeth Banks’ 2019 take on Charlie’s Angels, the Townsend Agency has expanded into a global network. … Read more