Posts by Trevor Johnston

Plan 75

By Trevor Johnston

Chie Hayakawa’s dystopian drama about a government-sponsored euthanasia programme is affecting, but leaves key questions unexplored.

review

Tony Kushner: ‘Close Encounters had a huge influence on me’

By Trevor Johnston

The sage of modern American theatre on his transition to becoming Steven Spielberg’s trusty screenwriting wingman.

In Front of Your Face

By Trevor Johnston

A South Korean ex-pat returns to her homeland and reconnects with old acquaintances in Hong Sang-soo's magical, melancholy drama.

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Futura

By Trevor Johnston

Alice Rohrwacher, Pietro Marcello and Francesco Munzi offer an illuminating portrayal of Italian youth in the midst of global uncertainty.

review

What Price Hollywood: The Story of A Star is Born

By Trevor Johnston

George Cukor’s sublime take on stardom ranks among Judy Garland’s best work, but its production was mired in turmoil.

Three Floors

By Trevor Johnston

Nanni Moretti grapples with the thorny topic of misogyny in his adaptation of Eshkol Nevo’s 2015 novel.

review

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

By Trevor Johnston

The Japanese master delivers his second smash hit of the year with a series of vignettes on human relationships.

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Ryūsuke Hamaguchi: ‘I’ve shot lot of stuff in cars because of Godard’

By Trevor Johnston

The Japanese director explains how he transformed a Murakami short story into the intimate emotional epic, Drive My Car.

New Order

By Trevor Johnston

Michel Franco’s button-pushing drama sees Mexico’s super-rich get their comeuppance in spectacularly violent fashion.

review

Elia Suleiman: ‘I was a street kid who became a bum – but a thinking bum’

By Trevor Johnston

The Palestinian filmmaker discusses his new film It Must Be Heaven and finding humour in human displacement.

Notturno

By Trevor Johnston

This captivating docu-reverie from Gianfranco Rosi reveals the aftereffects of war on people in the Middle East.

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A White, White Day

By Trevor Johnston

A police chief’s suspicion turns into an obsession in this chilly Icelandic drama from Hlynur Palmason.

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Mystify: Michael Hutchence

By Trevor Johnston

This tender portrait of the exuberant INXS frontman avoids tabloid hysteria in its search for a fragile soul.

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A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

By Trevor Johnston

Aardman’s woolly hero has an unexpected visitor in this warm-hearted stop-motion sequel.

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Transit

By Trevor Johnston

There’s shades of Casablanca in Christian Petzold’s riveting period romance, set in Nazi-occupied France.

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Ash is Purest White

By Trevor Johnston

Jia Zhangke combines gangster pic and social critique to thrilling effect with help from his regular partner in crime Zhao Tao.

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3 Faces

By Trevor Johnston

This brisk road movie from Jafar Panahi sees the Iranian director on top observational form.

review

Burning

By Trevor Johnston

Lee Chang-dong’s sly take on a Haruki Murakami short story is a slow-burn mystery touched by genius.

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The Workshop

By Trevor Johnston

Writer Robin Campillo and director Laurent Cantet team up for this slight exercise in social commentary.

review

Mary and the Witch’s Flower

By Trevor Johnston

There’s shades of Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service in this charming animation from Studio Ponoc.

review

Alexander Payne: ‘It’s a big idea you could take in myriad directions’

By Trevor Johnston

Nebraska’s finest muses on his dystopian, effects-driven sci-fi satire, Downsizing.

Downsizing

By Trevor Johnston

Matt Damon gets miniature in writer/director Alexander Payne’s daffy sci-fi parable.

review

Darkest Hour

By Trevor Johnston

Gary Oldman is on career-best form in this standard issue Winston Churchill biopic from director Joe Wright.

review

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

By Trevor Johnston

Yorgos Lanthimos is up to his old tricks in this typically strange and idiosyncratic psycho-thriller.

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Goodbye Christopher Robin

By Trevor Johnston

The creation of Winnie the Pooh is the fascinating subject of this unfocused screen biography.

review

God’s Own Country

By Trevor Johnston

A troubled farmer falls for a Romanian worker in this heartfelt feature debut from Francis Lee.

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City of Ghosts

By Trevor Johnston

The importance of citizen journalism comes to the fore in Matthew Heineman’s vital documentary.

review

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt Pepper and Beyond

By Trevor Johnston

A key ingredient is missing from this tribute to the Fab Four’s seminal pop-rock LP: the music.

review

Graduation

By Trevor Johnston

Romania’s Cristian Mungiu returns with another understated (and excellent) social drama.

review

Denial

By Trevor Johnston

Rachel Weisz rails against Nazi apologists in this sturdy court room drama for the ‘post-truth’ age.

review

Silence

By Trevor Johnston

Scorsese’s monolithic passion project finally arrives, and it’s a ripped straight from his spiritually devout heart.

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The Unknown Girl

By Trevor Johnston

An exceptional lead performance isn’t enough to lift the latest Dardenne brothers movie to greatness.

review

Little Men

By Trevor Johnston

Writer/director Ira Sachs strikes movie gold with this everyday epic about the making of masculinity.

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Sour Grapes

By Trevor Johnston

Wealthy wine connoisseurs get more than they bargained for in this strangely compelling doc.

review

Born to Be Blue

By Trevor Johnston

This carefully considered music biopic of narcotised jazzman Chet Baker really gets its man.

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Tale of Tales

By Trevor Johnston

Matteo Garrone serves up a trio of fabulously gory fantasies with the help of a solid ensemble cast.

review

Miles Ahead

By Trevor Johnston

Don Cheadle’s passionate tribute to the late jazz icon fails to hit all the right beats.

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A War

By Trevor Johnston

A Hijacking director Tobias Lindholm and star Pilou Asbæk reteam for this thought-provoking military drama.

review

Brooklyn

By Trevor Johnston

Saoirse Ronan is in scintillating form in this lavish period drama from director John Crowley.

review

The Lobster

By Trevor Johnston

Director Yorgos Lanthimos proves he’s still got plenty left up his sleeve with this dark dystopic satire.

review

Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

By Trevor Johnston

The winner of a recent poll to discover the greatest ever documentary is re-released.

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Far from the Madding Crowd

By Trevor Johnston

Carey Mulligan shimmers in an otherwise fairly ordinary adaptation of the Thomas Hardy classic.

review

Wild

By Trevor Johnston

Reese Witherspoon walks straight into an awards-bait trap courtesy of director Jean-Marc Vallée.

review

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

By Trevor Johnston

The glorious, all-American fantasy land of Oz retains its power to charm despite a few questionable ideas.

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Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism, we’ve been described as being “at the vanguard of the independent publishing movement.” Our reviews feature a unique tripartite ranking system that captures the different aspects of the movie-going experience. We believe in Truth & Movies.

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