All is not what it seems. The movie opens with from the perspective of a single mother. She is raising her pre-teen son. Life is challenging, but she makes ends meet. That is, until her once sweet natured boy starts acting-up; exhibiting bizarre behaviours and running away from home in the middle of the night, only to be found wondering an old tunnel alone in the rain and the dark. What could possibly have caused this unsual behaviour? This is…

Ah Saltburn. How divise you were in this our traumatically polarised year (decade? Century?!! Time will tell) of 2023. Were you a considered, carefully constructed symbolic piece on class warfare? A cautionary tale for the uber wealthy of aristocratic disposition (no doubt, the great uncelebrated heroes of our times...) ? Or simple wanton fetishisation of obcession and greed? A thriller? Yes? A comedy? Of sorts. A horror movie even, perhaps? Yes, that as well, I suppose. I personally thought you…

A compelling courtroom drama which acts as a character study even as it expertly juggles multiple themes. The movie dissects how our perspective is shaped by biases, and ultimately relies a great deal upon beliefs sustained by ephemeral memories. A particularly interesting, and perhaps not often explored topic, is that of a clash of cultures, as our germanic trilingual protagonist is forced to navigate a complex legal battle with little recourse to her native tongue. Overall a cerebral yet gripping…

This one is a bit of an enigma (in more ways than one). I wanted to love this movie. On paper it's everything I could ever have wished for. Gorgeous, wimsical, goth inspired costume and set design? Tick, tick, tick. Outstanding performances from Emma Stone, and supporting players? Yes, indeed. A boldly weird story about independence, maturity, societal expectations and constraints, self discovery, female empowerment (or debasement, depending on who you might ask), and so much more. Yes, please! And…