Posts by Elena Lazic

Louis Garrel: ‘When you make an action scene, there’s this tendency to think, “Let’s do it like Heat or Scarface”’

By Elena Lazic

The French star discusses The Innocent, his fourth feature film as a director and a quintessentially French hybrid of romantic comedy and heist thriller.

Adrian Lyne: ‘I’ve always thought that acres of flesh is incredibly unsexy’

By Elena Lazic

The master of the erotic thriller talks Deep Water, his long absence, and working with Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas.

Deep Water

By Elena Lazic

Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck play spouses engrossed in a twisted game of cat and mouse in director Adrian Lyne’s long-awaited return.

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Franz Rogowski: ‘It was a gift to not have to explain it all through words’

By Elena Lazic

The beguiling star of Sebastian Meise’s Great Freedom reflects on his career so far and the future of cinema.

The Beatles: Get Back

By Elena Lazic

Peter Jackson unearths and re-edits footage of the Beatles’ last hurrah, with euphoric and exasperating results.

review

Tick, Tick… Boom!

By Elena Lazic

Jonathan Larson’s celebrated stage musical gets the Lin-Manuel Miranda treatment – for better and for worse.

review

Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time

By Elena Lazic

With her second feature, Hungarian writer/director Lili Horvát delivers a suspenseful elliptical thriller.

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Discover a new streaming service with unseen films by women directors

By Elena Lazic

Klassiki is launching on the back of a popular lockdown movie club.

Summer of ’85

By Elena Lazic

François Ozon turns back the clock for a sun-kissed gay love story that’s shot through with tragedy.

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A journey to the past with François Ozon

By Elena Lazic

To celebrate the release of Summer of 85, we explore Ozon’s various heightened depictions of days gone by.

Camille Keaton on the legacy of I Spit on Your Grave

By Elena Lazic

The actor reflects on her role in the controversial rape revenge classic from 1978.

Claire Oakley: ‘The whole film is about describing the feelings of this young woman’

By Elena Lazic

How a fascination with female desire inspired the first-time director of the excellent Make Up.

Céline Sciamma: ‘I had a desire to show the birth of longing’

By Elena Lazic

The director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire discusses her monument to female artists and their intense gaze.

Inside the world’s most important (and accessible) short film festival

By Elena Lazic

This year’s Clermont ISFF once again welcomed an eclectic mix of short-form filmmaking new and old.

The Call of the Wild

By Elena Lazic

Harrison Ford and a CGI dog make for a pawsome pairing in this charming retelling of Jack London’s short story.

review

Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant on Portrait of a Lady on Fire

By Elena Lazic

The co-stars of Céline Sciamma’s sumptuous period romance discuss the intimate – and political – nature of the film.

The Lighthouse

By Elena Lazic

Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe take a brutal tumble into the abyss in Robert Eggers’ monochrome nightmare.

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The Nightingale

By Elena Lazic

Jennifer Kent follows up The Babadook with a gruelling yet vital portrait of colonialism in 19th century Tasmania.

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The Last Black Man in San Francisco

By Elena Lazic

Bay Area native Jimmie Fails stars in this sentimental semi-autobiographical drama from director Joe Talbot.

review

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

By Elena Lazic

Angelina Jolie and co are back is this muddled and misguided sequel to Disney’s inverted fairy tale.

review

Sienna Miller: ‘You don’t do an independent film unless you love it’

By Elena Lazic

As her new film American Woman attests, the one-time “It girl” has grown into a reliable character actor.

Ready or Not

By Elena Lazic

An eccentric board game dynasty instigate a deadly game of hide and seek in this fun, gore-splashed horror.

review

Angel Has Fallen

By Elena Lazic

Gerard Butler is back as super-patriot Mike Banning in this grimly violent action threequel.

review

The Intruder

By Elena Lazic

Mischievous and pleasurable genre antics with Dennis Quaid as a tooled-up, MAGA-hatted nutbag.

review

Dirty God

By Elena Lazic

A victim of an acid attack learns to cope with her trauma in Sacha Polak’s emotionally intelligent drama.

review

Les Misérables – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Ladj Ly’s gritty portrait of suburban Paris tips its hat to La Haine and Do the Right Thing.

Pet Sematary

By Elena Lazic

A case of miscasting fatally undermines this adaptation of Stephen King’s chilling 1983 novel.

review

The Aftermath

By Elena Lazic

Keira Knightley and Alexander Skarsgård experience forbidden love in postwar Germany.

review

Piercing

By Elena Lazic

Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbot play wicked games in this psychosexual horror.

review

Happy Death Day 2U

By Elena Lazic

This time-bending slasher sequel from writer/director Christopher Landon packs a surprising emotional punch.

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A Private War

By Elena Lazic

Rosamund Pike plays the late war correspondent Marie Colvin in this standard-issue biopic.

review

If you like Burning, seek out this haunting Murakami adaptation

By Elena Lazic

Tony Takitani also explores themes of isolation, obsession and the pervasive influence of capitalism.

Capitol Gains: The dramatic allure of political campaign films

By Elena Lazic

From The Candidate to The Front Runner, Hollywood has a rich history of illuminating the electoral process.

Bumblebee

By Elena Lazic

There’s a dash of Spielbergian charm in this thrilling family adventure from director Travis Knight.

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Aquaman

By Elena Lazic

DC Comics chance their arm with this zany, entertaining and frequently confounding underwater epic.

review

Nine roles that defined Robert Redford’s on-screen persona

By Elena Lazic

From the Sundance Kid to Jay Gatsby, here are some of the Hollywood icon’s most memorable characters.

The Christmas Chronicles

By Elena Lazic

Kurt Russell’s charming turn as Santa Claus makes this a festive family adventure to savour.

review

Mile 22

By Elena Lazic

Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg’s latest collaboration is an exploration of American militarism that doesn’t quite work.

review

Kursk – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Director Thomas Vinterberg and a formidable cast recreate the final hours of a real-life nuclear submarine.

A Sicilian Ghost Story

By Elena Lazic

A young girl attempts to unravel the mystery of her friend's disappearance in Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s second feature.

review

My Friend Dahmer

By Elena Lazic

The early years of the man dubbed the ‘Milwaukee Cannibal’ make for a compelling character study.

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Truth or Dare

By Elena Lazic

A cursed version of everyone’s least favourite party game causes havoc for some teens in Blumhouse’s latest horror offering.

review

Love, Simon

By Elena Lazic

What does it mean for a gay man to be ‘normal’? This coming-of-age comedy seeks to answer that question.

review

Death Wish

By Elena Lazic

Eli Roth and Bruce Willis combine forces for a frustratingly bland remake of Michael Winner’s vigilante classic.

review

Tomb Raider

By Elena Lazic

Alicia Vikander delivers the goods and then some in the female-driven action movie we’ve all been waiting for.

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Mary Magdalene

By Elena Lazic

Faux feminist biblical revisionism abounds in Garth Davis’ humdrum religious drama.

review

Red Sparrow

By Elena Lazic

Jennifer Lawrence plays a Soviet spy whose repeated abuse leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

review

Touch Me Not – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Adina Pintilie’s Golden Bear winner comprises superficial images of unsimulated sex and people with disabilities.

Roman J Israel, Esq

By Elena Lazic

Denzel Washington plays an altruistic attorney in this low-key crime thriller from Nightcrawler director Dan Gilroy.

review

The Commuter

By Elena Lazic

Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra join forces once more for this fast-paced and furiously entertaining actioner.

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Only the Brave

By Elena Lazic

Miles Teller is the standout performer in this overly macho tale of an elite mountain firefighter crew.

review

Jigsaw

By Elena Lazic

The Saw franchise is rebooted with a pair of hot horror directors behind the tiller. Unfortunately, it’s not enough.

review

Noah Baumbach: ‘People sometimes tell me, “Why don’t you just make something funny?”’

By Elena Lazic

The writer/director of The Meyerowitz Stories reveals how he mixes the comic with the tragic.

The Mountain Between Us

By Elena Lazic

Love blossoms in the wake of a plane crash in this fun romantic disaster movie with Idris Elba and Kate Winslet.

review

American Assassin

By Elena Lazic

A strong performance by Dylan O’Brien can’t save this reactionary and very silly revenge flick.

review

First Reformed – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Paul Schrader returns to the fray with a mediative masterwork powered by a stunning central turn from Ethan Hawke.

Wind River

By Elena Lazic

Sicario screenwriter Taylor Sheridan helms this icy crime drama set on a Native American reservation.

review

Missing Twin Peaks? There’s never been a better time to watch Northern Exposure

By Elena Lazic

This cult ’90s TV show shares some undeniable similarities with David Lynch’s brainchild.

Death Note

By Elena Lazic

Adam Wingard strips a classic manga story of its cultural relevance in this regrettable adaptation.

review

The Dark Tower

By Elena Lazic

Idris Elba plays a cosmic gunslinger in this tame adaptation of Stephen King’s fantasy saga.

review

Cars 3

By Elena Lazic

This latest Pixar sequel is a digitally-rendered blockbuster which celebrates the joys of the analogue world.

review

It Comes at Night

By Elena Lazic

This coldly affecting contagion horror excels in generating a sense of acute dread, but falls short on the story front.

review

Gifted

By Elena Lazic

Marc Webb follows up his Spider-Man movies with a sensitive and well-made tearjerker about a child genius.

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How Straw Dogs exposed the hypocrisy of the New Man

By Elena Lazic

Despite accusations of misogyny, Sam Peckinpah’s domestic thriller is a feminist film in disguise.

Is 4DX really the future of cinemagoing?

By Elena Lazic

This immersive motion picture technology promises to put viewers ‘in the movie’ – but is it any good?

The Rider – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Chloe Zhao’s hushed neo western offers a feminist perspective on a man in crisis.

Hope Dickson Leach on the positive impact having children has had on her career

By Elena Lazic

The Levelling director speaks openly about the challenges of making work as a young mother.

All-female horror anthology XX is a worthy project poorly executed

By Elena Lazic

Annie Clark makes her directorial debut in this convention-flipping collection of shorts.

Lady Macbeth

By Elena Lazic

A stunning lead turn from Florence Pugh anchors this complex and compelling period drama.

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The Love Witch

By Elena Lazic

With this retro-styled gem, director Anna Biller provides a sumptuous response to ’70s sexploitation horror.

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Patriots Day

By Elena Lazic

Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg combine forces for this rousing reenactment of the Boston Marathon bombing.

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The Founder

By Elena Lazic

Michael Keaton turns the humble hamburger into big business in this supersized American Dream satire.

review

Woody Harrelson’s Lost in London was a crazy, compelling triumph

By Elena Lazic

The actor/director has delivered a unique ‘live cinema’ experience.

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage

By Elena Lazic

Vin Diesel is back as the world’s toughest, buffest secret agent. The results are thrilling and baffling in equal measure.

review

Collateral Beauty

By Elena Lazic

The man once self-described as Mr Box Office heads up yet another slushy, contrived dud.

review

Assassin’s Creed

By Elena Lazic

Michael Fassbender attempts to rescue the humble video game movie in this fantasy epic. The results are baffling.

review

Office Christmas Party

By Elena Lazic

This lurid abomination showcases the very worst of Hollywood’s current comedy set.

review

Space Jam at 20 – A first-time look at a ’90s favourite

By Elena Lazic

“A very intense fever dream” is how our brave test subject describes this ultra-wacky Michael Jordan vehicle.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

By Elena Lazic

This lavish Potter spin-off set in 1920s New York severely lacks for honest-to-goodness magic and awe.

review

How American Gigolo flipped Hollywood sexism on its head

By Elena Lazic

Paul Schrader’s 1980 film unashamedly objectifies Richard Gere’s narcissistic lead.

American Pastoral

By Elena Lazic

Ewan McGregor shoots for the moon with his director debut, an adaptation of one of Philip Roth's best novels.

review

Deepwater Horizon

By Elena Lazic

Peter Berg puts a blue-collar spin on the 2010 BP oil spill in this immensely entertaining disaster epic.

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Salt and Fire – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Michael Shannon and Werner Herzog reunite for this intriguing and highly allegorical eco thriller.

Deepwater Horizon – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Peter Berg comes up trumps with this patriotic and pulsating dramatisation of the BOP oil spill.

Moonlight – first look review

By Elena Lazic

This remarkable return to filmmaking by director Barry Jenkins falls just a few steps short of genius.

Snowden – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Despite Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s best efforts, Oliver Stone’s whistleblower drama feels completely disconnected from reality.

Lady Macbeth – first look review

By Elena Lazic

Florence Pugh shines in this smart period drama from director William Oldroyd and screenwriter Alice Birch.

Amanda Knox – first look review

By Elena Lazic

This compelling true-crime doc provides an intelligent take down of media sensationalism.

Wiener-Dog

By Elena Lazic

Greta Gerwig provides the spark in American nihilist Todd Solondz’s unofficial sequel to Welcome to the Dollhouse.

review

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

By Elena Lazic

Zac Efron and Adam Devine play hapless dudebro brothers in this silly, surprisingly offensive comedy.

review

Why Spider-Man 2 is the greatest blockbuster of the 21st century

By Elena Lazic

Sam Raimi’s franchise midpoint is a perfect superhero sequel – a film with a sincere belief in humanity.

Elvis & Nixon

By Elena Lazic

A lack of contextual depth and contrasting acting styles undermines this offbeat apolitical comedy.

review

My Life as a Courgette – first look review

By Elena Lazic

This stunning stop-motion animation set in an orphanage is as witty and insightful as it is quietly shocking.

Bad Neighbours 2

By Elena Lazic

A surprising entrant to that very exclusive club of movie sequels that are better than the original.

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