Let me say upfront that I have absolutely no interest in Formula 1 racing, or sport in general for that matter. However director Asif Kapadia’s extraordinary documentary about racing legend Aryton Senna is a fascinating, gripping, thrilling, emotionally devastating powerhouse of a film that deserves to be seen by a very wide audience in spite … Continue reading
There is nothing particularly original about director Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior, but it is a very, very good film. Yes its filled with sports movie cliches and stock characters, not to mention it is thematically similar to The Fighter from earlier this year. Yes its largely predictable plot elements – borrowed from just about every boxing … Continue reading
Twitter review: Poor acting, esp from Keira, clunky script, Chadha knows Indians-in-UK but not football. Why so admired?
Clint Eastwood’s career this last decade has been truly remarkable – an embarrassment of riches that includes films as diverse as Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Letters from Iwo Jima, Changeling and Gran Torino. For his latest directorial effort, he has chosen to depict the days following Nelson Mandela’s release from prison leading up to … Continue reading
As someone who has absolutely no interest in football whatsoever, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Damned United; the true (or true-ish) story of legendary football manager Brian Clough. It’s not really about football per se, but more a character study that doesn’t ignore Clough’s obsessive personality yet still generates sympathy … Continue reading
Although I find wrestling ridiculous, The Wrestler is an unusually good film from maverick director Darren Aronofsky. To say his previous films, such as Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain, divided audiences and critics would be an understatement. However, here he is likely to get much more unanimous praise, not least because The Wrestler … Continue reading
