Film Reviews by TE

This absorbing documentary focuses on Maradona's prime period with Naples and in the World Cup. There are brief glimpses of his earlier life, and of his more recent story.

The football is secondary to a tale of power, corruption, media hysteria and super-exploitation. It is essential viewing for anyone interested in the cultural and political importance of this sport in the modern world.

Somehow or other, Maradona's feisty spirit keeps bobbing back up, but at some cost. His flaws and his appealing vulnerability compete for our attention throughout the film, and even non-football fans will have to admire the short clips of his artistry on the pitch.

The reviews so far, by Alphaville and by PD (we can safely ignore the whining rant by PV!) give contrasting reactions to this grim, bleak movie.

I don't see any of the Hardy similarities referred to by PD. Hardy was good at tragedy because he wrote careful build-ups to the tragic endings, and he included some light to contrast with the dark.

Here there is nothing but inarticulate doom, with no build-up and no modulation.

The best thing about the film is its sense of place. Anyone who has wandered around the slate mining area of North Wales will recognise the prevailing air of damp darkness.

It's a pity that the story and the characterisation are so one-dimensional. I love Maxine Peake's work but she is not stretched here at all.

All good, dirty fun. Full of the usual John Waters energy and sexual anarchy.

It's a bit too much like a comedy sketch stretched out into a full length movie, but there is enough outrageous invention to sustain interest.

As often in Waters' films there is a battle between the liberated on the one hand and the uptight on the other, with the liberated winning a joyous, orgasmic victory.

This is perhaps the best Reygadas film since his superb debut, 'Japon'.

The scenes between Juan and Ester (played by Reygadas and his real life wife) are riveting in their emotional force. Reygadas likes to challenge his audience and the casting of himself and his wife (Natalia Lopez) gives an uncomfortable edge to many of the scenes, especially since Juan takes self-punishing pleasure in watching Ester have sex with other men.

There is clearly an existential spiritual quest being played out, but human concerns are sandwiched between timeless landscapes on the one hand, and brute animal passions on the other (the bull farm).

For anyone (like me!) with a fascination for all things Mexican, it is also a treat to take in this human tragi-comedy without any reference to drug cartels.

The soundtrack is excellent too.

Nadine Labaki's 2018 film 'Capernaum' is a brilliant film. This movie, 'Where Do We Go Now?' was made in 2011 and it's hard to believe it is the work of the same director.

There is an uneasy balance between slapstick comedy and serious political and religious observation. The recipe for peace is presented so simplistically that it is almost an insult to the war-battered populations in the region. This is cartoon feminism set within a shouty, comic version of serious conflicts.

Based on the horrific Carandiru Prison massacre, this film captures the essence of the chaotic, violent and de-humanised world of the prison in the build-up to the massacre.

The story is told from the perspective of the humane doctor sent in to try to increase awareness of the dangers of AIDS. His relaxed humourous approach brings out the occasional moments of warmth that exist in the most unlikely settings.

The film is sometimes a little too episodic, but it ultimately builds towards a compelling, tragic climax.

Stunningly brilliant film. Koreeda here documents the true story of four siblings abandoned in a flat in a Tokyo suburb.

In fact, Koreeda chose to smooth over some of the harshest aspects of the story, though his film still delivers a powerful and tragic punch.

Koreeda's films all seem to focus on the nuances of family connection and the bonds of blood. In this case the bonds are exclusively felt by the children and not by the feckless adults.

The performances by the children are uniformly excellent, especially Yuya Yagira as Akira.

The disintegration of young, hopeful lives is set against the vast indifference of the city.

The review by PD expresses the key elements of this engaging but ultimately sad film.

The sterile environment of the hotel is the dominant force at every stage. Eva's core of humanity is expressed only in occasional moments: the electric shock administered by Minitoy; the daring scene where she strips for a transfixed maintenance worker; and the outburst of rage when she is told that she has not got the job she has worked so hard for.

The most telling moment is when she realises that the mother and baby she has been helping have left the hotel without telling her. She furtively pockets a bib that she finds under the bed, a tragic symbol of her enforced disconnection from her own child.

This is apparently the director's first full length feature film. Can't wait for her future work!

Wow! Another brilliant film from Jia Zhangke. The central performance by Zhao Tao carries the narrative with mesmerising excellence.

The story is set within the context of an ancient Chinese code of 'outsider' living, giving fresh insights into life in this increasingly powerful nation.

At the same time, it is the age old themes of love and loss that dominate, and the film has emotional echoes of 'In The Mood for Love'.

To cap it all, the cinematography is stunning, with many memorable landscapes and cityscapes.

A brave attempt to create a collage-like, impressionistic study of three boys growing up with slightly older children as parents.

It works sporadically but leaves the viewer only semi-satisfied...it is rather like watching clippings from the editorial room floor, with little sense of overall narrative. Some scenes engage, others feel like 'filler'.

Jonah only emerges as the central character quite late on. His discovery of gay preference is sensitively portrayed, but there is a 'random' quality to the whole thing that makes for mixed feelings when looking back at the movie.

Anyone who has followed the photographic career of Richard Billingham will love this film based on his early childhood.

Like the photo essays the movie encompasses both comedy and tragedy, building to a stunningly brilliant concluding sequence.

And you don't have to be versed in Billingham's photography, this is a carefully observed drama that stands alongside all the greats of British gritty-realist cimema.

This is a comprehensive overview of Bergman's career up to, and including, his "big year" in 1957.

There is nothing particularly new here, but it is a useful introduction for anyone who wants to know more about this tortured genius of cinema.

Unsurprisingly, the portrait of the artist has plenty of warts and blemishes. A man so driven is bound to be flawed.

Mainly this film serves as a reminder of just how good his prime period films are, and it is on those that he should be judged.

A middle-of-the-road, middling directorial and writing debut from the wonderful Jessica Hynes.

The story shows how bad parenting produces school bullies, and how the hard physical exercise of boxing helps the lead character to deal with her own past as a bully, along with her stressful present as a parent.

It is one those films where it feels as if something has been lost in the editing process. It's all a bit flat and the ending is trite.

The best moments come when Hynes deploys her deadpan humour. Her 'straight' acting is just not convincing.

Both previous reviews sum it up well: watch the HBO box-set of the original Deadwood if you haven't already seen it, it is a great series, full of the darkness of the violent, greedy creation of the USA. And it is full of memorable characters and fresh, original dialogue.

This film is of interest to Deadwood fans, but mainly to confirm how good the original was.

Here the emphasis is on happy endings and consoling redemptions. It is as if the blandest team in the Disney studios were to do a movie sequel to The Wire.

Three stars just for the pleasure of seeing Ian McShane's last stand as Al Swearengen.

The strength of this film is in the cast, with Toby Jones and Anne Reid turning in reliably good performances.

The story itself is done in an altogether over-tricksy way, with the kaleidoscope metaphor as a clunky symbol of the piecemeal bits of information the viewer is given.

The director is Toby Jones' brother and this is his first feature film.