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Don’t forget the full stop. Emma is my least favourite of Jane Austen’s novels (other than the superlative adaptation Clueless (1995). This remake by Autumn de Wilde is nicely staged with beautiful sets, clothes and a humorous thread of caricature and it mostly surmounts the biggest challenge of the story – that the eponymous character is not very likeable. Continue reading
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This psychological thriller compellingly portrays the reality of toxic relationships and doesn’t let up from start to end. Continue reading
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I like the resurgence of clever whodunnits, particularly the ones that are character-driven and unpredictable. With The Translators, director Régis Roinsard takes an unlikely but compelling story and fills it with dense narrative, quirky characters and some truly unexpected plot twists. Continue reading
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Like a sweet, golden, flaky pastry served with a bitter coffee, Maryam Touzani’s Adam is full of warmth, sorrow and satisfaction. Continue reading
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Austrian directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz have crafted a frosty and compelling suspense with horror overtones. It surpasses Hereditary (2018) with its eery themes of rural isolation and family dysfunction. Continue reading
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Told in a Wes Anderson-esque tableau style, Makoto Nagahisa’s We Are Little Zombies is a visual onslaught that frames childhood grief as a computer game, with avatars, quests, save points and perhaps even a chance of a game reset. Continue reading
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“The hardest thing in life is letting go of those you hold dear. After that, everything is easy.” Continue reading
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The Centrepiece Gala had me at ‘ukulele’ and ‘zombies’. Abe Forsyth’s zom-com doesn’t take itself too seriously and is full of laugh-out-loud dialogue and devastatingly winsome performances from Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England and a class full of kindergarten kids. Continue reading
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“Don’t drink standing up. Satan will see you. And with your left hand too!” Continue reading
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Except for a slight misstep in the third act, this darkly funny evisceration of violent men and mob mentality hits all the right notes (pun intended). It is a strong debut by director Mirrah Foulkes. Continue reading
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