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2/5
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The Wedding Banquet
(2025)
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Ben Turner
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For a film with real comedy pedigree attached to it, this is a surprisingly unfunny movie, with a script that is strikingly devoid of any humour whatsoever.
Posted May 27, 2025
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2/5
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Another Simple Favor
(2025)
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Ben Turner
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If you’re looking for a film about perky PTA-Mom accidentally embroiled in a real-life mystery, that ship sailed in 2018 and did not return to port this year.
Posted May 27, 2025
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4/5
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Four Mothers
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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With compelling performances and a tone that’s pitched just right, this is a warm hug of a film that will warm even the coldest of cockles.
Posted May 11, 2025
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5/5
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Sebastian
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Freud would have had a field day with this drama, but for the rest of us, it’s entertaining, intelligently complex and also indelibly sexy. A must-watch.
Posted May 11, 2025
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3/5
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The Parenting
(2025)
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Ben Turner
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The film’s main problem is its completely generic narrative. If this were an out-and-out spoof then this would be less of a problem, but it actually doesn’t go heavy on the gags, meaning that its only half-funny, half-interesting and also only half-scary.
Posted May 11, 2025
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3/5
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Dying Briefly
(undefined)
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Ben Turner
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Sensual, well-composed and frenetic, this dance movie totally succeeds in capturing the breathlessness of a soulful dance show, even if its leads are particularly wet.
Posted May 11, 2025
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5/5
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Departures
(2025)
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Ben Turner
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This film feels like a Danny Boyle moment, injecting some much-needed dynamism into the genre. This is grass-roots cinema at its best. Stark, moving, edgy and drole, this is a genuinely exceptional feature debut.
Posted Apr 30, 2025
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3/5
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Bonus Track
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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There’s certainly nothing offensive or dislikeable on show here, but there’s similarly very little to arrest our attention. It’s a nice way to spend a few hours, but so is going for a walk.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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The Persian Version
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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Colourful and vibrant, this beautifully revels in the charm of Persia, but is held back by dislikeable protagonist. But if you’re looking for a film that showcases all things Persian, this is definitely your film.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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1/5
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What We Wrote Together
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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There’s no tension, dilemma or character flaws, which means that this consists solely of three decidedly average millennials whingeing for 93 minutes. The script is inane, the direction bland and the cinematography is nothing beyond basic.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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Elton John: Never Too Late
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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If you’re a fan of Elton John, then this is a treat that gives a peak behind the curtain. But for those more casually acquainted with John’s work, this is a music-doc that doesn’t work very hard to convert new fans.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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4/5
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Who We Love
(2021)
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Ben Turner
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At times funny, at others poignant, this is a totally necessary and thoroughly watchable teen-centric drama with a massive beating heart.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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2/5
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The Writer
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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While it may be intellectually stimulating, it doesn’t quite work as entertainment. Its characters and plot are secondary to its philosophical musings, which feel more like the director’s manifesto than a piece of narrative storytelling.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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2/5
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Ganymede
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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While Ganymede is able to capitalise on its metaphor and run with it, it doesn’t manage to sustain suspense long enough to keep us from chuckling about how ridiculous it all is.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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Queer
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Though Daniel Craig revels in a career-best performance, he is underserved by Guadagnino’s unfocused reverie for Burroughs’ work. The result is a messy film that’s definitely artistic, but is only partially enjoyable.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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My Old Ass
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Its performances are adequate while the script is light and sometimes funny. Its concept ticks away quietly in the background, almost secondary to the romance at the centre, but as light teen sci-fi goes, Freaky Friday it is not.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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2/5
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Upon Waking
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Where the bulk of the narrative is a contemplative character drama, its ending is a far-fetched genre movie that needs you to suspend your disbelief a LOT.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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Barrio Boy
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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There is certainly chemistry between its leads – and the camera is clearly in love with Quique too – but its edit is the film’s biggest hurdle, feeling clunky and actually unfinished.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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The Summer with Carmen
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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This is a director playing with narrative and form, but that doesn’t quite cut it in terms of just telling us a good story. There’s no doubt this sweet, fizzy and sexy, but it’s about as satisfying as a lollipop.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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One Last Night Of You
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Thoughtful and contemplative, this is an atmospheric drama that examines the joys of being alive, but as a romance it asks us to back away from the edge but doesn’t quite convince us why.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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3/5
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Misericordia
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Guiraudie is trying to emulate the same style of his biggest film but without shedding the humour of the rest of his canon and, unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work. The result is half-tense, half-funny and only half-weird, making a film that’s only half-good.
Posted Mar 30, 2025
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5/5
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Will & Harper
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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While there is much discussion about how Harper has had to learn how to live as a trans person, we get to watch first hand as Will learns to be a good ally. It's this emotional journey that – like all good road-trip films – is the real heart of the film.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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4/5
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Chuck Chuck Baby
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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This film’s hardened northern exterior masks a beautiful beating heart at its centre. A wonderful film that’s as exultant as it is gloomy, this is one of the best British movies of this year.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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3/5
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Kinds of Kindness
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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This is a film solely for Lanthimos fans, but even for them this is like listening to a B-sides collection of your favourite singer, not a studio album.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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4/5
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Pretty Red Dress
(2022)
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Ben Turner
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A fun feel-good film that brings out the best in its director and stars, this is a well-crafted slice of succulent British cinema.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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2/5
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Close to You
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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An introspective grey film that can’t get its pace up beyond a laboured stroll, Page might give a perfectly authentic performance, but his self-written script gives him very little to actually do.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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4/5
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Am I OK?
(2022)
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Ben Turner
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Saccharine escapism with a great big heart, this is a warm hug of a movie that feels like a cupcake for the soul.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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4/5
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The Apprentice
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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With all the shoulder-padded glamour of Wall Street America, this is an origin story that doesn’t shy away from the darker sides of Trump's personality.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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3/5
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The Critic
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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A catty script cannot save a straight-forward story that's as predictable as a wet British February.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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3/5
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Emilia Pérez
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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A genuinely interesting idea that's overshadowed by the window-dressing of a director who wants every single bell and whistle and wants them in abundance. This might be an innovative film in execution, but in substance it's a story that lost its way.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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4/5
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Power Alley
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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It looks and sounds fantastic, popping from the screen with a sanguine brightness that’s symptomatic of an unjaded ingénue director. Halla’s voice is razor sharp, crafting a sports movie that’s more moral parable than anything to do with volleyball.
Posted Dec 01, 2024
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2/5
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Queen Tut
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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Vibrant, colourful and full of sparkles, this is a drag film that looks the part. But go beyond the rhinestones and sequins and you’re left with a pedestrian narrative and a clutch of limp characters.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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1/5
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I Saw the TV Glow
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Schoenbrun has made a film that’s difficult to digest, but it’s really not as original as it thinks it is. After a decade of nostalgia-horror, this is just an avant-garde take on an already established sub-genre that feels like a mumblecore Videodrome.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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3/5
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Mysterious Ways
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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A mild character piece without any teeth, this is a drama that will leave the uninitiated with a rosier picture than is the truth.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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2/5
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The Beautiful Summer
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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It might be trying to create realism, but this is neither an effective romance nor a historical piece. The result is a meandering drama that isn’t summery or beautiful, but instead a plotless character moment that doesn’t actually have anything to say.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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2/5
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Drifter
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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Dark, sordid and completely unapologetic, but there’s very little that’s sexy about its sexual content. Low-stakes and somewhat ambivalent, this is the Germanic sister to 2018’s Sauvage, but without even half of its clout.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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4/5
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Liuben
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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With a pair of deeply compelling central performances, this is an unflinching and dignified account of the residual problems in rural Bulgaria. An honest and heartfelt social commentary anchored by a tender love story, this is a moving and sincere film.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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2/5
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Jagged Mind
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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A film that’s peppered with pointless red herrings and details that distract from the narrative. It is easy to follow, but its relentless fragmented editing is disorienting at best and annoying at worst.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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4/5
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Crossing
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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While it might not pack the same emotional punch as its predecessor, this is a contemplative film from a now accomplished filmmaker.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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4/5
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Problemista
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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While at times it looks, smells and feels like The Tilda Swinton Show, this movie actually belongs to Julio Torres with his talented fingerprints all over this impressive debut. Silly, sweet and – at times – ridiculous.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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4/5
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Cuckoo
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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A sturdy horror that delivers thrills a-plenty and is suitably unsettling. One of the strongest Queer horrors of the last few years.
Posted Sep 21, 2024
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4/5
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Unicorns
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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A well-crafted genre movie that can comfortably rest on the talent of its actors, who instil a giant beating heart at the centre of this very watchable film.
Posted Jul 07, 2024
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4/5
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Challengers
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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Challengers might not be the tennis movie you expect, but it’s the tennis movie Guadagnino wanted us to see and we are totally here for that. Tense, sharp and extremely sexy, it tastes just as delicious as it looks.
Posted Jul 07, 2024
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3/5
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Drive-Away Dolls
(2024)
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Ben Turner
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A mediocre place-holder that will be remembered as a Coen Miss, not a Coen Hit
Posted Jul 07, 2024
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2/5
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Birder
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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As an erotic thriller it focuses more on the erotic, but even that is somewhat undermined by the silliness of romping about in the buff.
Posted Jul 07, 2024
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2/5
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The Mattachine Family
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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Rose-tinted and saccharine sweet, its hyper-realistic style is tainted by a drenching of idealised nostalgia that leaves this contemplative mumblecore somewhat lacking any real substance.
Posted Jul 07, 2024
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4/5
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Nimona
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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It has fight after battle after skirmish after fight, which is certainly exciting but feels somewhat formulaic. But then, what else could possibly happen in a futuristic medieval kingdom?
Posted May 30, 2024
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3/5
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Aligned
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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As an unabashed and unashamed piece of homoeroticism, this delivers in spades. Just don’t kid yourself that you need to watch it with the sound on.
Posted May 30, 2024
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5/5
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Monster
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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A shrewd and edgy social commentary, this is an intelligent and contemplative film played out through pithy dialogue and arresting visuals. This is Japanese filmmaking at its absolute best.
Posted May 30, 2024
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1/5
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Orlando, My Political Biography
(2023)
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Ben Turner
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An overwrought academic slice of virtue-signalling, this is a very difficult film to sit through.
Posted May 30, 2024
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