Director: David O. Russell | Runtime: 1h 56mins | Biography, Drama From The Vault: The Fighter (2010) is written by Connor Cudmore. Based on the true story of professional boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) as he attempts to step out of the shadow of his troubled by successful older brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). It’s difficult to find autobiographical stories in cinema that don’t feel … Continue reading From The Vault: The Fighter (2010)
Director: Mark Jenkin | Runtime: 1h 29mins | Drama A once thriving fishing village in the heart of Cornwall is under threat from an ever increasing horde of tourists. Tensions rise as Fisherman Martin (Edward Rowe) has been forced to sell his childhood home and his brother Steven (Giles King) uses their late fathers old boat as a short tourist trip around the cove. There’s … Continue reading REEL Review – Bait (2019)
Director: Christopher Storer | Runtime: 1h 12mins | Comedy Hasan Minhaj’s first stand up special came courtesy of Netflix, mostly chronicling the immigrant experience of his parents and how it effected his childhood, Homecoming King also takes a dive into how his senior Prom night somehow lead to being a correspondent on The Daily Show. Netflix has created a enormous back catalogue of content since … Continue reading Editor’s Pick: Homecoming King (2017)
Director: Hirozaku Koreeda | Runtime: 1h 50mins | Drama After being happily married for a short while, Yumiko (Makiko Esumi) and her young child lose their husband and father, seemingly in a suicide, and attempt to move on with their lives without any explanation. Director Hirozaku Koreeda has carved one of the best careers for any working filmmaker today, creating some incredibly genuine and engaging … Continue reading Editor’s Pick – Maborosi (1995)
Director: Mike Mills | Runtime: 1h 45min | Drama, Comedy, Romance Spanning a number important moments in Oliver’s (Ewan McGregor) life, we follow him as he meets Anna (Mélanie Laurent) a few months after his father Hal’s death (Christopher Plummer), the time Hal tells Oliver he’s gay as well as the times that followed. Writer/Director Mike Mills hasn’t had the most widely known feature length … Continue reading REEL Review – Beginners (2010)
Creators: Pendleton Ward, Duncan Trussell | Runtime: 20-36mins (episode) | Animation, Drama, Comedy Living in a dimension called ‘The Chromatic Ribbon’, spacecaster Clancy Gilroy (Duncan Trussell) uses a unlicensed universe simulator as a means to interview subjects, creating deep philosophical conversations to be posted to his small subscriber base. Coming from the creator of Adventure Time (2010-2018) is one of this years most unique and … Continue reading REEL Review – The Midnight Gospel (2020)
Director: Andy Collet | Runtime: 44mins | Documentary Modern nomadic couple Val and Tim renovated an American school bus to travel around Europe in a very eco-centric lifestyle with their daughter, Fenna, and their Great Swiss Lewis. In this short feature, a group of skiers and snowboard riders join them for a 6000km, month long journey through Austria, Slovenia, Macedonia and more, discussing their eco-friendly … Continue reading REEL Review – In Gora (2018)
Director: Isao Takahata | Runtime: 1h 59mins | Animation, Comedy, Drama | Language: Japanese, English (dub) The ever expanding city of Tokyo causes a development to encroach on the land of the raccoon-like tanuki, a magical race of shapeshifting creatures. After the constructions start to cause real issues with their home, the raccoons decide to fight back. With the recent addition of most of Studio … Continue reading REEL Review – Pom Poko (1994)
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda | Runtime: 1h 55mins | Drama | Language: Japanese Every year a family comes together from across Japan to commemorate a tragedy in their past. After we spend 24 hours with them, we understand their relationships, dynamics and the importance of this annual ritual. Hirozaku Koreeda has became quite an important figure in Japanese cinema since the turn of the 21st century. … Continue reading Editor’s Pick – Still Walking (2008)
Director: Alan Yang | Runtime: 1h 31mins | Drama, Romance | Language: Taiwanese, Mandarin, English As a young adult, Taiwanese factory worker Pin-Jui (Hong-Chi Lee) dreams of living in America with his childhood sweetheart Yuan (Yo-Hsing Fang) as they enjoy their romanticisms around the area of Huwei. Years later, a much older Grover (Tzi Ma) struggles to connect with his adult daughter, and the shadow … Continue reading REEL Review – Tigertail (2020)
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