Contributions from Anton Bitel | Little White Lies

Contributor Anton Bitel

Group of barn owls with striking plumage and distinctive facial features.
Review

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

by Anton Bitel

Despite all the flying, its jarring mismatch of hyperrealism and unabashed fantasy stops it soaring.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Two men, one gesturing angrily at the other, wearing glasses and a scarf.
Review

Down Terrace

by Anton Bitel

In his low-budget feature debut, Ben Wheatley brings a very English working-class brand of domestic banality to his evil.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A young woman in a blue dress sitting in a hollowed-out tree trunk, surrounded by moss and foliage.
Review

Alice in Wonderland

by Anton Bitel

Tim Burton has always been a visual storyteller and his Alice is a source of visual wonder.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Underwater scene with colourful jellyfish, coral, and a dome-shaped structure in the foreground against a green and blue background.
Review

Ponyo

by Anton Bitel

At its heart, Ponyo is a film about a global catastrophe, but the apocalypse has seldom seemed so joyous or tender.

5
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Young woman in hiking gear standing next to a car in a mountainous landscape.
Review

Fast & Furious

by Anton Bitel

The biggest auto-based franchise around gets the high-spec reboot it probably didn’t deserve.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Close-up of a rugged, weathered man with a concerned expression, illuminated by an intense, warm orange light.
Review

Tony Manero

by Anton Bitel

Pablo Larraín’s Saturday Night Fever-inspired drama is a damning indictment of the Pinochet dictatorship.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two men, one in a police uniform and one in casual clothes, stood at a kitchen counter.
Review

Bronson

by Anton Bitel

Tom Hardy delivers a knockout performance as Britain’s most notorious convict in this bruising psychodrama.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect