"Locke" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Locke" (2013), a film consisting entirely of one man's (Tom Hardy) drive from Birmingham to London - a 90 minute drive which threatens to unravel his entire life:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2067-locke-creative-filmmaking-with-a-challenging-premise

"The Railway Man" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "The Railway Man" (2013), a film about a former prisoner of war who discovers that the man who tortured him escaped prosecution and is still alive:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2062-the-railway-man-gut-wrenching-beautiful-and-brutal

Under The Skin (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Under The Skin", Jonathan Glazer's new mind-bending psychological sci-fi:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2059-review-under-the-skin

"Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013), the story of a depressed, reclusive musician and his elegant wife - both of whom happen to be vampires:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2058-only-lovers-left-alive-mixes-old-school-and-modern

"Enemy" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Enemy" (2013), Denis Villeneuve's new thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal who sees a man that looks exactly like him in a film and decides to track him down:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2053-enemy-is-brimming-with-atmosphere

"Bethlehem" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Bethlehem", the new Israeli film about a teenage boy working as an informant for the Israeli Secret Service because his brother is the leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2049-bethlehem-finds-the-human-impact-of-political-and-religious-conflict

"Blue Ruin" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Blue Ruin", the new gut-wrenching, unglorified revenge thriller by Jeremy Saulnier:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2046-blue-ruin-turns-revenge-theme-on-its-head

Mistaken For Strangers (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Mistaken for Strangers", Tom Berninger's documentary about his experiences on tour with The National, an indie rock group fronted by Tom's older brother Matt:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2038-mistaken-for-strangers-a-personal-journey

"Le Week-End" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Le Week-End", a British film starring Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as an old married couple hoping to re-ignite their passion by going to France for their anniversary:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2030-le-week-end-avoids-melodramatic-romanticism

Alan Partridge (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Alan Partridge" (2013), a British comedy starring Steve Coogan as a radio DJ who gets taken hostage by a former coworker that he was responsible for getting fired:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2026-alan-partridge-hysterically-british

Gloria (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Gloria" (2013), a Chilean film about a middle-aged divorcee searching for love and happiness:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2017-gloria-an-authentic-representation-of-real-life

The Selfish Giant (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "The Selfish Giant" (2013), a film about 2 northern England kids who get kicked out of school and start collecting scrap metal for a ruthless metal dealer:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2012-the-selfish-giant

La Grande Bellezza (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "La Grande Bellezza", the Oscar-winning Italian film about a writer who starts to tire of his life of excess after his 65th birthday:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/2006-la-grande-bellezza-a-european-cinematic-masterpiece

August: Osage County (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "August: Osage County", a film starring Meryl Streep as an Oklahoma woman whose dysfunctional family comes together after her husband drowns himself:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1998-august-osage-county-better-suited-for-the-stage

"Saving Mr. Banks" (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013), a dramatic comedy starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, and Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, the original author of "Mary Poppins" who refused to give up film rights without her say:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1993-all-star-cast-propels-saving-mr-banks

Preview: Museum London's "Domestic Arrivals"

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see my preview of Museum London's "Domestic Arrivals" Canadian documentary series:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/featured-posts/1990-museum-london-hosts-canadian-documentary-series

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Inside Llewyn Davis" (2013), the new Coen Brothers film about a wayward folk musician:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1986-inside-llewyn-davis-deeply-atmospheric

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" (2013), a new biopic starring Idris Elba as the titular legend:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1980-mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-a-story-too-great-to-be-bad

The Invisible Woman (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "The Invisible Woman" (2013), directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes as Charles Dickens:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1973-the-invisible-woman-is-technically-lacking

Nebraska (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Nebraska" (2013), the Oscar-nominated film about an elderly man who thinks he's won a million dollars in an advertising scam, and the son who takes him to Nebraska just to get him to stop talking about it:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1965-nebraska-delightfully-muted

Gabrielle (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Gabrielle" (2013), a French Canadian film about a girl with Williams syndrome who falls in love:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1964-gabrielle-walks-the-fine-line-of-exploitation

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "The Broken Circle Breakdown" (2012), a Belgian film about a Bluegrass singer and a tattoo artist whose daughter gets cancer:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1957-the-broken-circle-breakdown-is-sophisticatedly-emotional

Now playing at The Hyland Cinema.

Good Vibrations (2012) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "Good Vibrations", a rock and roll biopic about "the godfather of Belfast punk", now playing at The Hyland Cinema:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1951-good-vibrations-a-series-of-great-music-videos

The Book Thief (2013) Reviewed for The Beat Magazine Online

Head on over to The Beat Magazine Online to see what I thought of "The Book Thief" (2013), about a girl sent to live with a German family during the Nazi regime, where she's taught to read by Geoffrey Rush:

http://www.thebeatmagazine.ca/index.php/cinema-reviews/1946-the-book-thief-good-performances-but-cliched-script-and-dialogue