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The Elephant Man (1980) Review
The Elephant Man (1980) Director: David Lynch Screenwriters: Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergen, David Lynch Starring: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft Forty years after its release, David Lynch’s The Elephant Man remains one of the most compassionate and tender films ever made. It seems that, when bringing up the title with anyone, there is…
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The Battle of the Sexes (1960) Review
The Battle of the Sexes (1960) Director: Charles Crichton Screenwriter: Monja Danischewsky (based on a short story by James Thurber) Starring: Peter Sellers, Constance Cummings, Robert Morley Taking a look back at Charles Crichton’s The Battle of the Sexes, one thing immediately stands out: the backdrop of Edinburgh city centre. Even today, some six decades…
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Judy (2019) Review
Judy (2019) Director: Rupert Goold Screenwriter: Tom Edge Starring: Renée Zellweger, Finn Wittrock, Jessie Buckley, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon Critically acclaimed stage director Rupert Goold has moved from the stage to the big screen with Judy Garland biopic Judy, an examination of an all-time great stage and film presence that explores the deep rooted hurt that…
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Love Wedding Repeat (2020) Review
Love Wedding Repeat (2020) Director: Dean Craig Screenwriter: Dean Craig Starring: Sam Claflin, Olivia Munn, Eleanor Tomlinson, Joel Fry, Tim Key, Aisling Bea, Jack Farthing, Allan Mustafa, Freida Pinto Based on Plan de Table by Francis Nief and Christelle Raynal, Love Wedding Repeat falls into the trap of being what it is… a pointless Anglo/American remake of…
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Brassed Off (1996) Review
Brassed Off (1996) Director: Mark Herman Screenwriter: Mark Herman Starring: Pete Postlethwaite, Ewan McGregor, Tara Fitzgerald, Stephen Tompkinson, Jim Carter, Philip Jackson, Peter Martin, Sue Johnston, Mary Healey, Melanie Hill There are British films we consider to be status quo challenging kitchen sink dramas and others we consider to be high art explorations of often…
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My Summer of Love (2004) Review
My Summer of Love (2004) Director: Pawel Pawlikowski Screenwriter: Pawel Pawlikowski Starring: Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine Taking a retrospective look at Pawel Pawlikowski’s first English language outing My Summer of Love is like peering into the machinations of the great auteur’s most recent outings, this romantic drama set amongst the hills of the Yorkshire countryside…
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The Selfish Giant (2013) Review
This article was originally published to SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. The Selfish Giant (2013) Director: Clio Barnard Screenwriter: Clio Barnard Starring: Connor Chapman, Shaun Thomas, Sean Gilder, Steve Evets, Siobhan Finneran The Selfish Giant feels like a wonderful amalgamation of Oliver Twist and Stand By Me transposed to a rundown area of Bradford, West Yorkshire.…
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The Arbor (2010) Documentary Review
The Arbor (2010) Director: Clio Barnard Starring: Manjinder Virk, Christine Bottomly, Natalie Gavin Yorkshire-born Andrea Dunbar was, in the 1980s, one of the UK’s most promising playwrights and the well-renowned screenwriter of her own film adaptation Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987), one of the country’s most unique, honest and challenging dramas ever put to screen. By…
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Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) Review
Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) Director: Alan Clarke Screenwriter: Andrea Dunbar Starring: Michelle Holmes, Siobhan Finneran, George Costigan, Lesley Sharp With the strapline “Thatcher’s Britain with her knickers down” and the premise of two school girls who have an affair with a married man, it would be easy to dismiss Rita, Sue and Bob…
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Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Review
This article was originally published to SSP Thinks Film by Sam Sewell-Peterson. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Director: Hayao Miyazaki Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki Starring: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa Environmentalism, war and peace, pride and corruption, coming of age and redemption – it can only be a fairytale from acclaimed Japanese animation director Hayao…