Contributions from Matt Thrift | Little White Lies

Contributor Matt Thrift

Monochrome illustration featuring a portrait of a man surrounded by smaller images of other men, with a vintage style and bold colours.
Long Read

In defence of Robert De Niro

by Matt Thrift

Dirty Grand­pa may be an inde­fen­si­ble dud, but the actor’s recent out­put is nowhere near as bad as every­one seems to think.
Two young men walking together, one wearing a black fringed top and yellow trousers, the other wearing a colourful shirt and sunglasses.
Review

Dirty Grandpa

by Matt Thrift

Robert De Niro hits an all-time low along­side Zac Efron in this insuf­fer­able road trip comedy.

1
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
A middle-aged Asian man with long black hair, wearing traditional clothing, playing an acoustic guitar against a backdrop of bamboo stalks.
Interviews

Hou Hsiao-Hsien: ‘There were a lot of gangs where I grew up’

by Matt Thrift

Meet the Tai­wanese mas­ter who makes gor­geous movies and home-made Samu­rai swords.
A person stands on the bow of a sailing ship, surrounded by ropes and the open sea.
Review

In the Heart of the Sea

by Matt Thrift

There’s some­thing major­ly fishy about this high seas folk tale – and it’s not the enor­mous whale that ship­wrecks Chris Hemsworth.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Crowded scene of people and boats in an old harbour, with wooden buildings and structures in the background.
Review

Hard to be a God

by Matt Thrift

Alexsey German’s 15-years-in-the-mak­ing polit­i­cal alle­go­ry is a vis­cer­al, sen­so­ry, jaw-drop­ping masterpiece.

5
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Older woman in bright green and white clothing, with large sunglasses, seated at a table in a restaurant with a man.
Review

Iris

by Matt Thrift

Albert Maysles’ penul­ti­mate film sug­gests that rabid con­sumerism can be refined and charming.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A smiling, well-dressed man with greying hair and a blue scarf against a colourful urban backdrop.
Review

Danny Collins

by Matt Thrift

A sap­py Al Paci­no vehi­cle reviewed via the medi­um of Heat’s icon­ic cof­fee shop tête-à-tête.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
A woman in a blue top holding a tablet computer, with a man in a dark jacket standing behind her.
Review

The Divergent Series: Insurgent

by Matt Thrift

Expo­si­tion and naff CG fight for suprema­cy in this YA sci-fi sequel star­ring a seem­ing­ly unen­gaged Shai­lene Woodley.

2
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Stylised illustration of a man with a yellow face, dark hair, and a cigarette in his mouth against an orange background.
Interviews

Ben Mendelsohn: ‘The hardest things to act are fucking and fighting’

by Matt Thrift

The F‑bombs fly in our inter­view with the Aussie char­ac­ter actor who appears in Starred Up.
A man in a white T-shirt holding a rifle, standing in front of a wooden structure.
Review

Out of the Furnace

by Matt Thrift

A mag­net­ic Chris­t­ian Bale adds much-need­ed grav­i­tas to this oth­er­wise con­ven­tion­al blue-col­lar revenge saga.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect