Every so often you watch a film that you know you’re going to love within the first 5 or 10 minutes. Treacle Jr. is one such film. Funny, poignant, wonderfully acted and making brilliant use of its South London locations, Treacle Jr. is an absolute gem of a film, illustrating once again that you don’t need a Hollywood budget to create brilliant cinema.
To celebrate the 80th birthday of Ealing Studios, the classic Whisky Galore is back on our big screens as of the 29th July. And frankly, I couldn’t be happier. Spruced up with digital restoration, stylistically stunning cover designs and retaining its utter, utter brilliance – there’s no excuse, you simply have to see it.
Alan Butterworth presents his debut feature The Drummond Will: a black comedy about two brothers who visit the village their father passed away in, only to be faced with a bag full of money, a village full of lunatics, and numerous over-the-top ‘comedy’ voices.
Loosely based on true events, this South American horror promises “real fear in real time”, with its action purportedly playing out in a single, uncut take. Delivering for the majority of its running time, the film is let down most by its conclusion; a sigh that undermines the shocks. Yet for genre fans, The Silent House remains a curio that deserves to be watched – especially before the American remake arrives.
Based on the much-loved novel by Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah’s Key is a French drama that swings between 1940s Paris and the modern day to weave the tale of a young Jewish girl persecuted in the Vel’ d’Hiv, and the woman who finds herself obsessed with her story.
An Apatow-eque romp without the cuddling after, Horrible Bosses chucks in loads of really naughty words and hopes to goodness it ends up controversial. The thing is, everyone’s obviously having such a brilliant time that it all just comes off as one big in-joke. Funny, crude, silly and loud – if you set your brain from kill to stun there’s a fair bit of enjoyment to be had here. I just wish they weren’t so damn pleased with themselves.
Although we have been faced with many films documenting the world of internet sex predators and their victims, Ross from Friends a.k.a David Schwimmer clearly felt that making another one was the right way to go for his second major movie directorial. Expect a lot of look away moments.
Terrence Malick’s highly anticipated release, The Tree of Life is an exploration of cosmic life and metaphysical being. But while we might enjoy watching the beautiful shots of Earth, space, and dinosaurs – the real film begins with the story of a young boy growing up in a family of opposites.
Holy Rollers, the true(ish) story of young Hasidic Jews conned into smuggling Ecstasy into the USA in the late nineties, stars a pre-Social Network Jesse Eisenberg and deserves to be better than it is. You’ll certainly enjoy the snappy script and engrossing main plot, but once things get complicated it feels a little empty.
Snipe London
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