Category Archives: Film Reviews

David Lowry extends his run as a perplexingly chimeric maker of very good films with The Green Knight, which might be one of his finest achievements yet.  Based on the epic poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’, The Green Knight follows Dev Patel as the famous Arthurian character, Sir Gawain. After being called toContinue reading “The Green Knight (2021), Truly Epic Fantasy”

After four years of silence, the iconic and insanely prolific Sir Ridley Scott has finally returned in the year of our lord 2021 with not one but two films, both historical films based on real events featuring Adam Driver: The Last Duel and House of Gucci. Of course if anyone is at all familiar withContinue reading “The Last Duel (2021) – A Question of Honor, Chivalry, Hairpieces and Justice”

Warning: Spoilers for The Sopranos TV show ahead The Many Saints of Newark has been marketed with posters saying “Who Made Tony Soprano”, on one hand it’s a clear way to establish the connection between the new film and the classic TV series, but for many, myself included, it gives the impression that this isContinue reading “The Many Saints of Newark (2021), A Tale as Old as Time”

Upon Pierce Brosnan’s departure from the James Bond franchise in 2002 with the dismal Die Another Day, the world was in desperate need of a new iteration of the iconic British agent. But it wasn’t just the portrayal of the character that needed updating, the whole franchise needed a fresh start. The series had almostContinue reading “License to Review: No Time to Die (2021)”

When it was announced that Denis Villeneuve was going to direct a new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic and foundational science fiction opus Dune, I remember jumping in excitement, if not physically in spirit. I couldn’t dream of a better or more perfect match between filmmaker and source material. Even if I hadn’t read theContinue reading “Dune (2021) – A World Beyond Our Experience, Beyond Our Imagination”

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which is based on the broadway musical of the same name, which in turn is based on a documentary called Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, owes a debt to some of the best British films ever released; Kes, Billy Elliot & The Full Monty. It follows the same elements of workingContinue reading “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2021), a Return to British Tradition…With Music This Time!”

Leos Carax returns to release his first film in nine years. His previous effort, Holy Motors, itself coming after a long absence from feature films, turned heads by veering off into the world of dense meta-ness. Both seen as a key text in metatextual cinema and also metamodern cinema, Holy Motors was ahead of aContinue reading “Annette (2021), Psychological Musical Odyssey”

On the eve of his 40th directorial effort, Cry Macho, making its debut, we at A Fistful of Film pay tribute to a living legend, Clint Eastwood. A Western star turned filmic Renaissance man, Eastwood has become known for more than just kicking ass and taking names on the big screen. We’ve picked four ofContinue reading “Staff Picks: The Captivating Clint Eastwood”

The first things I knew about Pig were three things. Firstly, it is a Nic Cage movie called Pig, already seeming curio like. Secondly, the poster; a brooding Nic Cage looking like a caveman on a background of inky black evoking the revenge fuelled desperation that came with Joaquin Phoenix’s masterful performance in Lynne Ramsay’sContinue reading “Pig (2021), Porcine Soul Searching”

Who asked for this? No really, who asked for this? I genuinely can’t think of a single person who was clamouring for a redo of Cinderella. I know we’re in this glut of revisionist reimaginings of Disney classics, (although this iteration is made by Sony). We’ve had Tim Burton’s anti-animal cruelty Dumbo, we’ve had theContinue reading “Cinderella (2021), Whose Idea Was This?”