2015 Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose Words – Natalie Mills Based on manga series Seaside Town Diary, Our Little Sister follows the lives of three twenty-something sisters. Abandoned by their separated parents, they live together in the beautiful, traditional old house that belonged to their grandmother. When their father…
Tag: drama
Honey Boy
2019 Director: Alma Har’el Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Noah Jupe, Lucas Hedges, FKA Twigs Words – Eleanor Smith Honey Boy is one of those films where after you see it, it sticks with you. Based on Shia LaBeouf’s own experiences, Honey Boy allows us to explore his traumatic childhood and early career, as well as showing…
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Director: Céline Sciamma Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino Words – Rhiannon Topham Describing a film as a ‘historical drama’ conjures particularly priggish dress, dialogue and narrative, none of which is typically original or disruptive to the staid all ways of the genre. Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, however,…
Marriage Story
2019 Director: Noah Baumbach Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta Words – Rhiannon Topham Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story opens with a couple of sickly sweet voiceovers from a couple listing everything they love and admire about their significant other. One leaves cupboard doors open and personal belongings strewn around the…
Babyteeth
Director: Shannon Murphy Starring: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis Words – Rhiannon Topham Our first flame is usually a clumsy affair, defined more by how awkward everything is than any real or lasting affection. The majority of these ‘relationships’ end swiftly with the heartbreaking realisation that things seldom last forever; but for…
Thunder Road
Director: Jim Cummings Starring: Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr, Nican Robinson, Jocelyn DeBoer Words – Toni Stanger Thunder Road opens with Officer Jim Arnaud (Jim Cummings) delivering the eulogy at his mother’s funeral. It’s a 10-minute scene shot in one long, unbroken take, which is the perfect way to introduce us to this unravelling character. Jim…
Beautiful Boy
Director: Felix Van Groeningen Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Steve Carell, Amy Ryan, Maura Tierney, Jack Dylan Grazer, Zachary Rifkin, Kue Lawrence Words – Rhiannon Topham When I came out of the screening for Beautiful Boy, I overheard a woman behind me say “when he [Steve Carell] is fretting about where his son is at the beginning,…
The Favourite
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Mark Gatiss, Joe Alwyn, Jenny Rainsford Words – Rhiannon Topham The Favourite is horrible. By horrible, I mean the filthy, wicked kind of horrible which makes prudes feel queasy. By horrible, I mean the sort of crude material that forces my mum to…
Shoplifters
2018 Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki Words – Joe H. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters is an exploration of relationships from director Hirokazu Kore-eda; known for exploring themes of family and belonging in a career spanning more than two…
Must See Movies: November
At Reel Steel we want to make sure you’re getting the most of your cinematic enthusiasm, so each month we put together our short list of some of the best new releases, from popcorn munching explosion fests to the often weird and wonderful. Take a look at the trailers below and see this month’s recommendations……
