HCMovieReviews: a volunteer run entertainment blog, talking film and TV since 2013.
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REVIEW: The Whale
(spoiler free) Darren Aronofsky is no stranger to controversy. The provocative filmmaker has delivered some of the most divisive and shocking titles in recent cinema history. Yet, irrespective of any opinions about his talent as a writer or director, his films undeniably always manage to get people talking. Anyone who has been following his latest […]
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REVIEW: The Son
(spoiler free) The Father is one of the best movies I have ever seen that dealt with the topic of dementia. Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Anthony Miller was highly deserving of the Academy Award for his work in the movie. Hopkins had always been a highly versatile actor, but had never given a performance as […]
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REVIEW: Saint Omer
(spoiler free) There’s a lot to dissect after viewing Alice Diop’s Saint Omer. Part courtroom drama, part meditative reflection on life itself, Diop’s movie is one charged with so much raw emotion in front of the camera that it’s hard to look away, even when what is described is painful to watch and hear. The […]
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REVIEW: The Eternal Daughter
(spoiler free) Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter is probably the least surprising movie of 2022. From the moment it opens, you can immediately see where it’s heading. However, Tilda Swinton magnifies the screen in one of the best performances of her career. Swinton portrays Julie, a filmmaker who takes her mother (also played by Swinton) […]
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REVIEW: Lady Chatterley’s Lover
(spoiler free) In Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, the late Eurosleaze pioneer Just Jaeckin described his experience working on the 1981 adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, starring Sylvia Kristel. He thought the script was “shit” because it was chock-full of erotic scenes with no meaning, stating that an “Erotic scene is […]
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REVIEW: The Swimmers
(spoiler free) The Swimmers chronicles the harrowing true story of how teenagers Yusra Mardini (Nathalie Issa) and Sarah Mardini (Manal Issa) fled Syria and helped a sinking boat full of refugees to cross the Aegean Sea. The two arrive in Germany at a refugee camp, with Yusra’s swimming prospects growing even more successful after meeting […]
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REVIEW: Kiddo
(spoiler free) The opening moments of Brett Chapman’s new environmental horror short film, Kiddo sees a bus load of teenagers being driven to an undisclosed location. They are in high spirits, but one passenger – an older woman: the titular Kiddo – is less than enthused. Immediately this sparks intrigue; why is her mood so […]
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Top 50 Films of 2022
With the curtain having come down on another cinematic year, it’s time to celebrate 2022’s finest celluloid offerings, of which there have been many. This list is based on UK general release dates, so films such as The Fabelmans, Tár and Babylon that have screened at festivals in 2022, but are still to be otherwise released […]
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REVIEW: Troll
(spoiler free) As fun as Roar Uthaug’s Troll should be, it unfortunately doesn’t live up to its gonzo premise. The trailer makes it look like it’s going to be a Nordic take on Legendary’s MonsterVerse franchise. However, it’s nothing more than a clichéd story of a “misunderstood” creature wreaking havoc on a town because of […]
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REVIEW: Armageddon Time
(spoiler free) After the dreadful Ad Astra, James Gray returns to the screen with Armageddon Time. And while it’s a slightly better-constructed film, it still lacks an emotional drive that would’ve made this coming-of-age tale semi-palatable to watch. Based around Gray’s upbringing in Queens, the film stars Banks Repeta as Paul Graff, a sixth-grader who […]
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