cinema

Reviews of the latest UK cinema releases.

Film review: Mid90s

by Cinema Perspective
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After graduating from the Judd Apatow school of stoner comedy, Jonah Hill has gone onto work under some of the biggest filmmakers in the business. Now he has transitioned behind the camera to write and direct coming-of-age drama Mid90s. Set across a summer in Los Angeles, the plot centres around thirteen-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic) who is taken in by a tightknit but troubled skater group as he struggles to find his place in cultural society.

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Film review: Us

by Cinema Perspective
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Comedian Jordan Peele turned filmmaker with his stellar social satire Get Out back in 2017, and he returns to the director’s chair for doppelgänger horror Us. As a child, Adelaide (Lupita Nyong’o) has a traumatic experience in a hall of mirrors after wandering away from her parents at Santa Cruz beach. Years later, she revisits the boardwalk with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and their two kids. The fun family vacation soon descends into terror when their beachhouse is invaded by unwelcome guests.

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Film review: Galveston

by Cinema Perspective
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 Author turned screenwriter Nic Pizzolatto made his name when he created crime drama True Detective, and he returns to the Texan landscape for his latest feature with French filmmaker Mélanie Laurent on directorial duty. Based upon Pizzolatto’s novel of the same name but adapted for the screen under his pseudonym Jim Hammett, road thriller Galveston follows ailing hitman Roy (Ben Foster) and young escort Rocky (Elle Fanning) as they go on the run from a dangerous mob, and of course, the law. They seek solace in Roy’s hometown, but it’s only a matter of time until their chequered pasts catch up with them.

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Film review: Everybody Knows (Todos lo saben)

by Cinema Perspective
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Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi has enjoyed much critical acclaim with his impactful social-realist movies, and he has turned his directorial gaze to the dusty Spanish suburbs for his latest piece. Mystery drama Everybody Knows follows Laura (Penélope Cruz) who, with her children in tow, returns to her hometown for her sister’s wedding. She reconnects with old flame Paco (Javier Bardem) at the ceremony, but the family fun comes to an abrupt end when her teenage daughter Irene (Carla Campra) goes missing in the night.

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Film review: The Wedding Guest

by Cinema Perspective
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Acclaimed writer and director Michael Winterbottom is perhaps best known for his work in the comedy genre, but has stepped into a more abstruse field for his latest feature. The Wedding Guest is a mystery thriller set on a criminal’s journey between Pakistan and India. Armed with weaponry and a pile of fake IDs, Jay (Dev Patel) flies from Britain to track down bride-to-be Samira (Radhika Apte) ahead of her forthcoming nuptials. With unclear motives, he kidnaps the young woman in the dead of night, but the crepuscular job takes an unexpected turn.

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Film review: Dumped (Larguées)

by Cinema Perspective
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French writer-director Eloïse Lang explores the relationship between a mother and her daughters in comedy-drama Dumped (Larguées). Rose (Camille Cottin) is a wacky party animal who enjoys a care-free life of drinking and dancing until the small hours. Her sister Alice (Camille Chamoux) is quite the opposite; happily married with two young children. When their mother Françoise (Miou-Miou) is dumped by their father for a younger woman, they hatch a plan to cheer her up, whisking her off to Réunion island for what is intended to be a weekend of sun, sea, sand and serenity.

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Film review: Walk Like a Panther

by Cinema Perspective
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Writer and director Dan Cadan reminisces about the golden age of British wrestling with his feature debut Walk Like a Panther, a so-called comedy set in Yorkshire. Mark Bolton (Stephen Graham) is the cheeky-chappy landlord of The Half Nelson, the local drinking den frequented by a group of former grapplers known as the Panthers. When the beloved pub’s future is threatened by devilish developer Paul Peterson (Stephen Tompkinson), Mark turns to his dad Trevor (Dave Johns) and the rest of the gang to save the day.

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