cinema

Film review: Bugonia

November 23, 2025 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Since they first collaborated on period piece The Favourite in 2018, director Yorgos Lanthimos and actor Emma Stone have had a fruitful working relationship which led to the latter’s Best Actress win at the Oscars for fantastical comedy Poor Things. They have come together again for their fourth feature with satirical thriller, Bugonia.

An English-language remake of South Korean sci-fi Save the Green Planet! from 2003, the plot follows conspiracy theorist cousins Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and Don (Aidan Delbis) who kidnap ‘big pharma’ CEO Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), convinced that she is an alien sent to destroy the planet. Tying her up in their basement and shaving her head, they begin torturing her in pursuit of the truth.

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DVD & Digital

Film review: Kinds of Kindness

July 9, 2024October 21, 2024 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Greek writer-director Yorgos Lanthimos made a name for himself with his unique brand of absurdist black comedy, breaking through with indie hits Dogtooth and The Lobster before shifting into slightly more commercial territory and enjoying award-winning successes with The Favourite and Poor Things.

His latest piece sees the auteur return to his deadpan roots, reuniting with screenwriter Efthimis Filippou with whom he collaborated on the earlier work. Structured as an anthology, Kinds of Kindness follows Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone in three separate chapters: first as troubled souls with something unusual in common, then as husband and wife in a strained marriage, and lastly as members of the same supernatural cult.

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: The Favourite

January 18, 2019July 9, 2019 Garry Arnot2 Comments

After transitioning his work from his native language to English, madcap Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has been making waves in the industry with his auteuristic style. His latest comedy The Favourite is a period drama which follows the trials and tribulations of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) in the early 18^th century. Suffering from gout, she becomes heavily reliant on her advisor Sarah (Rachel Weisz) to manage her affairs. When Sarah’s estranged cousin Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives at the palace as a scullery maid, the Queen’s attention is soon divided, and a family feud ensues for her affection.

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

November 12, 2017July 9, 2019 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

After crafting string of indie movies in his native language, Greek writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos enjoyed a critically acclaimed breakthrough with madcap quasi-comedy The Lobster. He has now reunited with the lead Colin Farrell for his next feature The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The plot follows cardiac surgeon Steven Murphy (Farrell) who lives a strange but comfortable life with his wife Anna (Nicole Kidman) and their children. Unbeknownst to his family, he befriends teenager Martin (Barry Keoghan), a former patient who looks up to Steve. Events take a sinister turn when the admiration turns to obsession and Martin places a bizarre curse on Steven, presenting him with an impossible choice.

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