12
May
Birds of Prey was one of the best films of 2020—a bright, bold super-powered film that blew the Bechdel Test right out of the water in fun, unexpected, and creative ways (I am still not over the mid-fight hair elastic request). Unfortunately, the R-rated, Harley Quinn-driven girl gang movie did not blow the box office away. While our very own David Crow wrote an excellent piece about how Birds of Prey was not the financial flop that parts of the media made it out to be, it wasn’t the next Deadpool either, leaving the future of this corner of the…
05
Aug
This review of all six episodes is spoiler-free. If proof were needed that TV drama can be anything it wants these days, Little Birds is it. The Sky Atlantic series is a confection of wild ingredients – glamour, satire, feminist fantasy, postcolonial politics, espionage noir, sex, violence and comedy. It’s a heady mix, not all of which coheres but which leaves you with unforgettable images and a distinct sense of having been transported. Set in 1955 Tangier, the six-part series is inspired by a collection of erotic short stories written in the 1940s by Cuban-French author Anais Nin. It’s not strictly an…
04
Aug
It’s common for channels to make hyperbolic claims when introducing a new show, but when Sky’s drama heads describe Little Birds as ‘not like anything else on telly,’ they’re not wrong. The drama’s six 45-minute episodes inspired by a series of erotic short stories combine to form a lavish period melodrama with few points of TV comparison. Little Birds is an exploration of female sensuality and liberation set against a backdrop of colonial violence and simmering rebellion. It’s a provocative, heightened, almost cartoonish fairy tale about struggles for personal and political independence. It’s colourful and stylised, tongue-in-cheek yet earnest, with a killer 1950s soundtrack. …
01
Aug
While not the absolute bonanza of live action and animated DC superhero movie content that hit HBO Max in July, there are still some gems arriving on the service in August. And this time, almost all of them are Gotham City based. A number of heavy hitters arrive on August 1st, including the entire Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman movie quadrilogy, and two thirds of the classic Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. First up is Tim Burton’s 1989 classic, Batman. You’ve all seen it, of course, but we wrote about the long journey this movie had to the screen right here…
21
Jul
You better start perfecting your eggs and bacon breakfast sandwich, because Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is getting ready for its streaming close-up. Indeed, as part of an onslaught of Batman movies headed to HBO Max in August, WarnerMedia announced that the Margot Robbie led anti-superhero flick will be streaming free for subscribers on Saturday, Aug. 15. The news means HBO subscribers who missed Harley and her friends make Gotham’s most overly defense dude bros’ lives hell will get their chance to revel in the carnage in a matter of weeks. Further the film…
02
Jul
As her childhood turns into motherhood, teenage troublemaker Gemma comes of age in her fading Scottish steel town. But in a place where "you either get knocked up or locked up," innocent games can easily turn into serious crime.Rated: Not RatedRelease Date: Jun 30, 2020
30
Apr
Three stories set in today's Algeria. In Algiers, Mourad, a property developer is wealthy and more or less satisfied with his lot but he does not know how to make happy those close to him; Lila, his confused ex-wife; Rash, his frustrated second wife; Nacim, his disenchanted son. Djabil, Mourad's chauffeur, has accepted to drive Aicha and his father from Algiers to Biskra where the young woman is to be married civilly. Now, Djabil happens to be Aicha's lover. In Sétif, Dahman, a neurologist, hopes to marry Radia at last. But the promotion he expects seems to be put off…
17
Mar
The VOD dominoes continue to fall during the coronavirus pandemic. With the world dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, large public gatherings are being officially discouraged by organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, and sitting in a movie theater with dozens of people certainly qualifies as a discouraged activity. The previous weekend’s box office hit a historic low, and movie theaters in both the US and UK have begun closing, whether voluntarily or as a result of official directives from local governments. As a result, yesterday Universal Pictures announced that they would make recent…
05
Feb
You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.Rated: RRelease Date: Feb 07,…
11
Aug
The flightless angry birds and the scheming green piggies take their beef to the next level in The Angry Birds Movie 2! When a new threat emerges that puts both Bird and Pig Island in danger, Red (Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride), and Mighty Eagle (Peter Dinklage) recruit Chuck's sister Silver (Rachel Bloom) and team up with pigs Leonard (Bill Hader), his assistant Courtney (Awkwafina), and techpig Garry (Sterling K. Brown) to forge an unsteady truce and form an unlikely superteam to save their homes.Rated: PGRelease Date: Aug 14, 2019
28
May
A woman's love for her pet ducks, chickens, geese, and turkeys - all 200 of them - ignites a battle with local animal rescuers and puts her marriage in jeopardy.Rated: Not RatedRelease Date: May 31, 2019
03
Apr
Some ground subsidence has occurred in a suburban area and a team of engineers, including Hao, is dispatched to investigate the cause. After days of wandering around in the empty suburb looking for answers and carrying his heavy gear, Hao walks into a primary school where he finds a diary chronicling the story of a boy and the separation of what seems to be an intimate group. As the investigation keeps going, Hao discovers that this diary might contain prophecies about his own life.Release Date: Apr 05, 2019
12
Feb
From the Oscar.-nominated team behind the genre-defying Embrace of the Serpent, comes an equally audacious saga centered on the Wayuu indigenous people during a crucial period in recent Colombian history. Torn between his desire to become a powerful man and his duty to uphold his culture?s values, Rapayet (Jose Acosta) enters the drug trafficking business in the 1970s and finds quick success despite his tribe?s matriarch Ursula?s (Carmioa Martinez) disapproval. Ignoring ancient omens, Rapayet and his family get caught up in a conflict where honor is the highest currency and debts are paid with blood. A sprawling epic about the…
25
Jan
Tito is a shy 10-year-old boy who lives with his mother. Suddenly, an unusual epidemic starts to spread, making people sick whenever they get scared. Tito quickly discovers that the cure is somehow related to his missing father?s research on bird song. He embarks on a journey to save the world from the epidemic with his friends. Tito?s search for the antidote becomes a quest for his missing father and for his own identity.Release Date: Dec 06, 2018
11
Jun
Against the explosive backdrop of the Iraq War, young soldiers Brandon Bartle (Alden Ehrenreich) and Daniel Murphy (Tye Sheridan) forge a deep bond of friendship. When tragedy strikes the platoon, one soldier must return home to face the hard truth behind the incident, and help a grieving mother (Jennifer Aniston) find peace.Rated: RRelease Date: Jun 15, 2018
