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  • Review: Journey to Italy (1954)

    Rescued from obscurity by the French New Wave, Roberto Rossellini’s deceptively mild tale of marital distress still captivates almost sixty years after its original release. You would be forgiven for thinking a melodrama about a marriage in crisis from the 1950s would have little to say about relationships today, but JOURNEY TO ITALY retains a peculiar resonance; the gaping void where love ought to be in the lives of this couple is something that many will sadly relate to, particularly in these days of high divorce rates and family breakdowns. But it’s a journey that fascinates, intrigues and challenges too.

    Full review: Journey to Italy | TAKE ONE

  • Review: The Lone Ranger (2013)

    Arriving in the UK with the word ‘FLOP’ seared into its flesh, thanks to a lacklustre marketing campaign, an underwhelming performance at the box office stateside and a critical mauling in many quarters, Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer’s adaptation of The Lone Ranger had a bad reputation before it even opened. All the more reason to rejoice then that it turns out to be one of the most purely enjoyable films of the year: full of spectacular action, eccentric humour and loving nods to the entire history of the western genre. Most surprising of all is that the near two and a half hour running time just flies by. Why can’t all flops be this much fun?

    Full review: The Lone Ranger | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Dial M For Murder (1954)

    “Hitchcock’s 3D Masterpiece” proudly proclaims the re-release trailer for this 1954 effort by the Master of Suspense. Frankly “masterpiece” might be pushing it, but Hitch’s only excursion into three dimensional filmmaking is still an enjoyable, if unexceptional, entertainment. The director’s distinctive black humour and thematic preoccupations remain intact, but he tackled similar subject matter in many other, much better works. He was basically treading water creatively, yet the use of 3D does add a little interest to what is otherwise a fairly by-the-numbers exercise.

    Full review: Dial M For Murder | TakeOneCFF.com

  • Review: The Wolverine (2013)

    The X-Men franchise rehabilitation continues apace with The Wolverine, a sturdy second spin-off for the mutton-chopped, metal-boned mutant. Arriving in the wake of 2011’s fast-paced First Class, and with one eye on next year’s sure-to-be-epic Days of Future Past, this new entry is akin to a pause for breath, centring as it does on its lone character and a relatively grounded, more intimate story (for a comic book adaptation at least). It’s a refreshing change of pace, noticeably helped by relocating the action to Japan, and it gives room for star Hugh Jackman – notching up a sixth appearance in the role – to counterbalance his usual aggressive action scenes with a few quieter moments of character drama.

    Full review: The Wolverine | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: A Field In England (2013)

    A mesmerising exercise in Lynchian weirdness and English folk horror, Ben Wheatley’s latest project cements his claim as British cinema’s most promising genre talent. Though there’s very little in the way of the usual horror trappings, the terror here is all in the mind, as befits a film made on a shoestring budget and confined to a (more or less) single location. The film’s multi-platform release – simultaneously in cinemas, online, on DVD & blu-ray, and the Film4 television channel – has at the very least given it a degree of exposure it could never have hoped to achieve under normal circumstances, which means Wheatley’s star should now ascend even further.

    Full review: A Field In England | TakeOneCFF.com

  • Review: Before Midnight (2013)

    It might seem something of a paradox that cinephiles – people who generally prefer sitting in absolute silence with a room full of strangers to making idle conversation – have fallen so hard for a trilogy of films which consist almost entirely of two people talking to each other. Just talking. Not even talking about big, important things necessarily (though it does cover these), but every day stuff too. Yet such is the case with Richard Linklater’s rambling Before… series, of which Before Midnight is the latest entry. What is perhaps more astounding is that all three films – beginning with 1995’s Before Sunrise and continuing with 2004’s Before Sunset – should be so compellingly written and performed. This new instalment is every bit as beguiling as its predecessors, as it progresses the central relationship between Jesse and Celine to an older, more mature, yet no less problematic phase.

    Full review: Before Midnight | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: Much Ado About Nothing (2013)

    It’s an incredibly brave – or incredibly foolish – person that tries to film a Shakespeare play in under two weeks while officially on leave from work. That Joss Whedon felt he was up to the job should come as no surprise; this is a man who for years has thrived on similar challenges, be it directing a film version of an all-too-quickly cancelled TV series (Firefly) or creating a musical episode for a hit primetime show (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). As a low budget take on a familiar play, it’s an entertaining enough diversion: the low-key approach adds to much to the overall charm. But the flip side of that is there is a slimness to the end product which prevents it from being more fun that it might have been.

    Full review: Much Ado About Nothing | TakeOneCFF.com

  • Review: Man of Steel (2013)

    Zack Snyder’s mega-hyped Superman reboot arrives burdened with great expectations. Not only must it win over audiences disappointed by 2006’s Superman Returns; not only does it have to measure up to its billion dollar stablemate, the Dark Knight (as interpreted by Christopher Nolan, here wearing his producer’s hat); but it has also been tasked with establishing a cinematic universe comparable to its Marvel competition, allowing other characters and franchises to launch from its muscular shoulders and finally giving DC a chance to catch up. Not surprisingly, Man of Steel doesn’t quite succeed in delivering the knockout punch that Warner Bros might have wished for, but there’s still plenty to enjoy here, and, crucially, further sequels are an attractive prospect.

    Full review: Man of Steel | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix

  • Review: The Hangover Part III (2013)

    The Hangover Part III posterIt’s not unusual for films to mine laughs from emotionally darker territory, but it’s a brave comedy that deliberately tries to avoid making its audience laugh at all. The Hangover Part III delivers about as many gags as The Turin Horse. One can only wonder how a film that felt like a breath of fresh air in 2009 managed to spawn two clunking sequels so utterly bereft of fun, despite Todd Phillips directing all three. It’s testament to the skills of the principal cast that it is at least endurable – depending on your tolerance of Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) – but even they seem to be struggling with a plot that smacks of desperation and a script with so little in the way of anything approaching comedy.

    Let the records show that there was only ever one Hangover film.

  • Review: Populaire (2013)

    After a cavalcade of mediocre rom-coms from the other side of the Atlantic, it falls to France to beat the Americans at their own game. A winning homage to the Technicolor delights of Hollywood’s golden age, the beautifully coiffed Populaire might have been a vehicle for Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in a parallel universe. But stars Romain Duris and Déborah François are more than acceptable replacements, and the plot is every bit as enjoyably predictable (and predictably enjoyable) as its forebears.

    Full review: Populaire | Cinema Review | Film @ The Digital Fix