Joanna Hogg’s first film, Unrelated was a joy: a real comedy of manners gently poking fun at the middle classes on holiday in Tuscany (read my 3 star review on www.vickyatthemovies.com), yet with a convincing storyline centering round an older woman’s hankering for youth. Hogg again takes the middle classes on holiday, this time a mother (Kate […]

I surprised myself by awarding only two stars to this much lauded film. Other reviewers, notably Philip French of the Observerand Anthony Quinn of the Independent both loved it, as did the Grand Jury at Cannes which awarded it the Jury Prize, alongside the Grand Prix to Gomorraand  the Palme D’Or to The Class, the latter decisions quite understandable. But I […]

Sometimes I think I must be mad. This week is a good example; out every night at work-related functions, so have to fit in a movie in the dirty mac slot again, after a day that began with a breakfast meeting, went on to a three-hour brainstorming, then the date at the Odeon and write this […]

I was not expecting to be blown away by Milk – just another biopic, I thought, very political and bound to be too long. How wrong I was!

 I had the opening lines of this review in my head: ‘Sean Penn was robbed’ – we saw Milk the afternoon of the Oscars, and I was astounded […]

The talk on the street is that Woody Allen has lost his touch since coming to Europe – this is his fourth film shot over here, but that Vicky Cristina Barcelona shows signs of returning to form. The last Woody Allen film I saw was Melinda and Melinda (2004) and before that Mighty Aphrodite in […]

Despite the promise of a few review-free weeks, such is my addiction that we managed to sneak in a quick movie between holidays. Daughter had announced that her art project required her to see a film with elaborate costumes, so we plumped for Inkheart.

There has been a mixed reception to this latest offering from British […]

We are back in Hollywood this week after a spate of gripping but depressing films. Like Bashir, Gomorra and Baader Meinhof, The Changeling is also a true story, but it is given the full Hollywood blockbuster treatment as befits a director of Clint Eastwood’s standing. He is carving a niche for himself in delivering beautifully […]

Terrorist drama-documentary seems to be the in thing – this is the third review in a row (but there is a dearth of any decent films at the moment). Waltz with Bashir is the crowning glory of the three (the others are Gomorra and The Baader Meinhof Complex) and arguably the most chilling of all.

The […]

Two films about gangs in consecutive weeks – is this a conspiracy? The fact is that there are very few decent films around, so apologies to those who prefer the lighter stuff.

Made by the director of Downfall, the riveting film about Hitler’s last days, the Baader Meinhof Complex chronicles the transformation of a disparate group […]

Fired by Obama’s victory last week, I was all set to see W. But then I got thinking – why go see a movie about a dull has-been, one who history will not treat kindly. By all accounts the film lets him off quite lightly. The shock death of Miriam Makeba, Mama Afrika, at a […]