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5/5
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The Secret Agent
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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A fine immersive and expansive political thriller, with a lead actor and director at the top of their game, that is a tribute to those 'disappeared' during the 1970s Brazilian dictatorship for activities deemed counter to its interests
Posted Jan 28, 2026
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4/5
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Nouvelle Vague
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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An ode to the joy and insouciance of the French New Wave that details how tyro auteur Jean-Luc Godard's improvised and broke the rules, pointing the way to making films with a personal vision
Posted Jan 12, 2026
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5/5
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Sentimental Value
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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An intricate family portrait with terrific lead performances in which disparate moments, from the intense to the contemplative to the carefree, are thrillingly combined
Posted Dec 29, 2025
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4/5
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Bugonia
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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Homey ambience lurches into suburban noir then dabbles in science fiction, held together by bold mercurial direction, smart writing and two outstanding lead performances
Posted Nov 24, 2025
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4/5
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Two Prosecutors
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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An inside story, sinister and ironic, of a regime that ate its own
Posted Nov 16, 2025
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3/5
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Kangaroo Island
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Affinity with the wild island sanctuary is strong while the family drama is less compelling
Posted Oct 27, 2025
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4/5
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Merchant Ivory
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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A richly informative study of the filmmaking duo behind the lavish period dramas they became famous for, focussed on fine performances and underpinned by intelligent writing
Posted Oct 14, 2025
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4/5
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National Theatre Live: Inter Alia
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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A dense, provocative script and stunning central performance might not just resonate with audiences, it might shake them to their core
Posted Oct 05, 2025
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4/5
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The Roses
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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A battle of the sexes for today with a brilliant satiric screenplay supported all the way with wonderful, relatable performances by all, especially th two lead actors
Posted Sep 19, 2025
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2/5
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Splitsville
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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Only some modest rewards in watching this uneven comedy about two scruffy mid-age guys navigating the assertive young women in their lives
Posted Sep 18, 2025
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3/5
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The Thursday Murder Club
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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Despite the dazzling stars in good form and the industry heft behind the production, it's only a moderately entertaining caper
Posted Sep 13, 2025
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3/5
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The Ballad of Wallis Island
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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A spirit of gentle forebearance pervades this clunky, downbeat relationship comedy, featuring a lonely eccentric obsessed with bringing his fave folk-music duo back together again
Posted Sep 01, 2025
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3/5
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Mr. Burton
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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Modest period drama about an inspirational teacher and his star student, that asks a question always worth asking, what makes a great actor?
Posted Aug 22, 2025
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2/5
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Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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This weak and under-developed follow-up to a robust original with lots of popular appeal, doesn't seem to do justice to the real-life story it is based on either
Posted Aug 16, 2025
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4/5
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The Friend
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A gentle tale with backbone that explores our need for emotional support and companionship, and why growing numbers of pets have become integral to our lives.
Posted Aug 11, 2025
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4/5
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Holy Cow
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Youthful mishaps and mistakes, and even outlandish ambition, get generous trreatment in this spirited and stylish film from the depths of rural France
Posted Aug 01, 2025
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4/5
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The Divine Sarah Bernhardt
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A little poetic licence has its way in the end, but this is otherwise a lively, fascinating portrait of the celebrated actress who defied convention and led a remarkable life
Posted Jul 23, 2025
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3/5
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El 47
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A local hero who took a stand is at the centre of this gentle, stirring drama that's as modest in scope as it is timely
Posted Jul 16, 2025
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4/5
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N'avoue jamais
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Cheeky, witty comedy that's keenly oibserved and delivers plenty of laughs, mostly at the expense of its stern, unbending patriarch
Posted Jul 04, 2025
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3/5
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Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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It's always a good start when the romantic couple loathe each other from the get go, and it's no different in this frothy, charming rom com about a booksmart Parisian and an uptight Englishman
Posted Jun 25, 2025
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4/5
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The Phoenician Scheme
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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Another playful, whacky and meticulously constructed charmer with some sinew in the father-daughter dynamic that drives the narrative and fantastical vision of a larger-than-life figure, who makes a good fit for these times
Posted Jun 07, 2025
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3/5
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Wilding
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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A bold environmental project that far exceeds expectations is inspiring and an important story to tell, while it needs a more rounded perspective on its downside
Posted May 30, 2025
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4/5
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The Salt Path
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A long journey around the coast is also a journey inwards, with actors at the top of their game, in this moving story of love, friendship and resolve
Posted May 22, 2025
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3/5
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Monsieur Aznavour
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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More attention on the creative qualities rather than on the steely resolve of the legendary French crooner would have done better service to this handsome, richly detailed portrait
Posted May 15, 2025
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4/5
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The Correspondent
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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With an immersive ambience that looks and feels entirely authentic and a compelling point to make, this account of recent true-to-life events is a chilling demonstration of the importance of a free press
Posted Apr 22, 2025
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4/5
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The Count of Monte Cristo
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A thrilling ride. With its grand sweeping plot, lush historical settings and compelling protagonist, this won't disappoint. Coherent, engrossing and entertaining, the film effortlessly proves historical action is still timeless.
Posted Apr 14, 2025
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5/5
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I'm Still Here
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Visceral and suspenseful, a chilling account of what can happen to citizens if a regime regards them as dissident that slowly rallies as a grieving wife leads her family beyond the tragedy of loss
Posted Mar 03, 2025
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4/5
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Bird
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Despite the difficult and weighty subjects here, like underage and neglectful parenting, the film's social realism finds way of escape in an irrepressible sense of fun and an immersive, uplifting natural world
Posted Feb 25, 2025
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3/5
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Companion
(2025)
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Jane Freebury
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A smart, articulate and entertaining, sometimes vicious, take on the AI playmate as accessory lover, that twists and turns its unpredictable way through the woods of gender politics
Posted Feb 07, 2025
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5/5
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A Complete Unknown
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Bears powerful witness to the moment when Dylan, anchored in a truly great performance, decides to create for himself, not for others, and build his incredibly influential body of work
Posted Jan 30, 2025
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5/5
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Anora
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Impressive at every stage, it starts out as an adolescent male sex fantasy then segues to a surprisingly comic dimension with bumbling goons, before the slow reveal that makes its final, devastating point
Posted Jan 04, 2025
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4/5
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Black Dog
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Bleak realities are rendered handsome in this offbeat noir featuring a moody young biker released from prison, who finds his hometown overrun by stray dogs
Posted Jan 04, 2025
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4/5
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Parthenope
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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With its medley of unwieldy ideas exploring the impact of female beauty, it is nothing short of ambitious, and the lead has to convince she has that siren something, yet it is a stunning and memorable visual feast
Posted Dec 31, 2024
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4/5
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The Dead Don't Hurt
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Insightful and refreshing, this elegant revisionist western about an unconventional pioneering couple still offers many of the familiar pleasures of the traditional western
Posted Dec 11, 2024
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4/5
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There's Still Tomorrow
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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An unusual and daring take on domestic abuse in post-war Rome with nods to the neorealist artistic trends of the time, and a clever about-turn that confounds our sense of tragedy foretold in panache and style
Posted Nov 14, 2024
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3/5
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Midas Man
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Jacob Fortune-Lloyd cuts an engaging figure in the first half as the brilliant entrepreneur, personable and self-effacing, and facilitator for the outrageously talented Liverpudlian lads, but the film loses its way as the focus shifts to family melodrama
Posted Nov 14, 2024
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4/5
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Bonnard, Pierre & Marthe
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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Cecile de France does a fabulous job with Marthe, a complex, earthy and antagonistic character and artist in her own right, in this gorgeous painterly study of the relationship between an artist and his muse
Posted Sep 17, 2024
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4/5
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His Three Daughters
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Nuance and complexity wittily observed as three women, all so different, get together during the final days of their father's life
Posted Sep 17, 2024
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3/5
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Blink Twice
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A slick, expertly handled revenge flick set in a billionaire's playground, plays with an apparently innocent and attentive enquiry that hides dark intent, but gets into difficulties trying to resolve the threads in the odd final coda
Posted Sep 05, 2024
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4/5
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It's Raining Men
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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A breezy serio-comic French sex comedy featuring the natural, generous charm of its lead actress, mixes an airy nonchalance with a serious side that gives pause
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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4/5
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Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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An intriguiing insight into the life of a massive star that reveals her many dimensions, and her concerns that her stunning looks got in the way of being considered a serious actor
Posted Aug 26, 2024
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2/5
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The Fabulous Four
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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A feeble attempt at feel-good in this celebration of mature-age friendship, despite the number of talented creative women involved who try to rise above the poor material they have work with
Posted Aug 17, 2024
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4/5
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The Teacher Who Promised the Sea
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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The solemn mood in this elegant historical piece only makes the enthusiasm and charisma of the central character, with his promise for a better future, all the more poignant
Posted Aug 09, 2024
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2/5
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Kinds of Kindness
(2024)
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Jane Freebury
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With scenes of casual, gratuitous misanthropy that are hard to take, the dark and savage satire carries fine performances but lacks the pleasures of the filmmaker's recent wildly offbeat historical dramas, and becomes something like an ordeal
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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3/5
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The Bikeriders
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Despite its strong cast and other cine pleasures, including a soundtrack stoking rebellion, there is a journalistic distance to it all, including the visceral lure of the open road that attracted its poster-boy to a bikie gang in the first place
Posted Jul 20, 2024
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4/5
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The Promised Land
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Set against a background of high and wide vistas to the sound of roaring winds, a primal drama with impressive performances from Mikkelsen and the cast that offers another powerful foundation story for our time
Posted Jun 28, 2024
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4/5
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La Syndicaliste
(2022)
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Jane Freebury
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The tale of this real-life whistleblower is fascinating and harrowing. While it could have been directed with more flair, Isabelle Huppert is terrific, as usual, giving the character her all alongside other fine performances
Posted Jun 28, 2024
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4/5
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Hit Man
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Wickedly funny, sexy and a showcase for disguise if ever there was one in this take on the film noir, with a femme fatale and a fall guy who give the fate of the romantic couple a dubious twist
Posted Jun 17, 2024
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4/5
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The Three Musketeers: Part II - Milady
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Swashbuckling, sweeping historical action with great panache that has done quite a lot to fix the gender imbalance for today's audiences, and makes the most of the proliferation of beautiful French castles still standing
Posted Jun 17, 2024
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4/5
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Les choses simples
(2023)
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Jane Freebury
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Bringing together a perfectly matched pair of opposites, a playboy start-up czar and a passive-aggressive recluse, makes for jaunty comedy and gentle insights in this study of male friendship set in the French alps
Posted Jun 17, 2024
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