Film

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel  thefinalreel.co.uk The premise at the heart of Snow in Paradise, director Andrew Hulme’s debut film, is an intriguing one. Based loosely on the life of Martin Askew who broke out of crime by converting to Islam (he also co-writes and stars as Uncle Jimmy here), the film follows Dave (Frederick Schmidt), a petty criminal in London who turns to Islam after his actions create irreversible consequences. Hulme, having racked up a good two decades of experience...

By Anna Power @TLE_Film Editor @KittPower “I have more in common with a dog than I do with you” Caine (Channing Tatum or should it be Canine?) The blunder bus has arrived. There were EU food mountains less criminally wasteful than the Wachowski’s latest film, a lavish effrontery to the sci-fi genre and filmmaking in general. Epic both in length and the endurance it takes to sit through it, it’s a crushing disappointment from The Matrix team. Visually magnificent, the...

By Matt Keay @Mattadamkeay Ten years ago, Colin Firth would’ve been an excellent candidate for the role of James Bond. Previously, he had set hearts a-fluttering in Love Actually, and as Darcys both in the hugely successful Bridget Jones films, and in Pride And Prejudice. He’d also proven his acting chops in films such as The English Patient and And When Did You Last See Your Father?, as well as honed his comedy skills in Mamma Mia! and St. Trinians....

By Miles Jackson David Fincher’s latest, an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel, switches genres about three times during its runtime between riveting mystery thriller, sociopolitical satire and psychosexual black comedy, occasionally juggling all three of these at once. Much like its subject matter - marriage - the film is a complicated, messy affair, hurling between vastly different viewpoints, allegiances swapping every minute. At times, it’s raucous, at others, it’s soul-crushing. The film flitters between two different perspectives - Ben...

Coming to our cinema screens in June is the 3D comedy adventure staring Sandra Bullock  Minions and it looks great. Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression. But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart...

After book sales took the world by storm, it's hardly surprising that the film of Fifty Shades of Grey is anticipated to do the same. Rumours are already prompting speculation around the actual percentage of on-screen film time devoted to sex scenes - around 20 per cent apparently. While waiting for it's release here's a clip to keep you going:

By Philip Benton @pablobento  My experience of Norwegian film-making is limited to the “slow-tv” shows which made headlines around the world including a 7 hour train ride, a 134 hour ferry voyage and a knitting marathon which were phenomenally successful with Norwegian viewers. So my expectations were not high despite the film being selected by Norway as its entry for ‘Best Foreign Film’ at the 2013 Academy Awards. Directed by Iram Haq, ‘I Am Yours’ is reminiscent of her life...

By Emma Silverthorn @HouseOf_Gazelle Daniel Ribeiro’s acutely observed coming of age tale The Way He Looks is a tender-hearted and convincing portrait of this classic genre, with the added twist that it’s also a coming out tale. Sao Paulo based Leonardo is an unusual teenager, only listening to classical music, avoiding parties and having just one very, close female friend. However, like most teenagers, Leonardo craves more independence than his parents are willing to give, his burgeoning desire for autonomy...

By Corrina Antrobus @CorrinaCorrina  Aardman is back with a delightfully silly story of how a little sheep herds himself around the big city and uses  friendship and teamwork to get home sweet home. Shaun, who’s now got a little more wool on his chin after ageing-up from his 1995 appearance in Wallace And Gromit - A Close Shave, finds that his life is starting to feel a little like Groundhog day. The creature comforts of his familiar farm and the...