Film Reviews

Many of Charles Dickens' classic novels have become classic films over the years. To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Dickens himself, Thomas Bentley’s 1934 film The Old Curiosity Shop and Alberto Cavalcanti’s 1947 film adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby have been re-mastered and re-released on...

Dragon Dynasty was released back in 2006 as a TV film, which is our first clue that it may not be up to the standards of a Hollywood blockbuster. However, if you want to see some great dragon action then watch away. The story, written by Berkeley Anderson and directed by Matt Codd, finds Marco Polo and...

Such strict rules govern the rom-com genre that it is hard to avoid repeating the same old thing. One way around this is to brazenly take an old idea and revamp it. All In Good Time has used this approach and made a film that may not be entirely original, but is still funny and moving in equal measure. The...

It's no secret that America's War on Drugs hasn't been much of a success, which makes Eugene Jarecki’s eye-opening documentary, The House I Live In, all the more impressive. The rainy Sunday which played host to the final day of Sundance London saw film fans trudge blurry-eyed into this at 11 am,...

What happens when you take a bunch of Marvel superheroes, throw in a famous villain and get man-of-the-moment director Joss Whedon to mix them together? The answer is 142 minutes of gripping adventure, hilarious banter and pure entertainment, of the kind that doesn't come around very often. Marvel Avengers...

Having a third helping of pie is always pushing it slightly. You know probably shouldn’t but when it tastes this good; why not? So when you are offered a fourth, it is downright gluttonous. That’s what we’ve done with American Reunion though. After nine years away from our screens, and thirteen since the...

Two British comedy institutions collide in Twice Round the Daffodils: the Carry On films and the Doctor series. The result however is not quite as jolly as you might expect. The film is more of a drama with jokes, than a comedy. This is no bad thing, however. Not only does the film feature Carry Ons...

Jungle movies aren't that popular any more. Yes, Avatar is set on a heavily wooded, day-glo planet, but broadly the vast rainforests of the central equatorial belt have almost gone the way of Monument Valley as a movie location. It's a pity, because alongside the opportunities for adventure and discovery, the...

The Source is an extremely beautiful exploration of the traditional Muslim culture in a small  North African village. It may focus on a single village, yet it represents a much broader picture of femininity and equality that deserves to be brought to the attention of a wide audience. The Source is the...

Italy changed a lot in the years after the Second World War. The country picked itself up from the ruins of war and transformed into one of the world's largest economies. It went from being a country of bicycle thieves and impoverished shoe-shines to one of il (economic) boom. Vittorio De Sica's two...