Contributor Tom Bond

Two people in traditional Asian dress, a woman in a pink kimono with a red floral accessory and a man in dark clothing, in a lush green outdoor setting.
Review

Family Romance, LLC

by Tom Bond

Werner Herzog delves into the strange world of a Japanese agency which specialises in artifice.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Two people - a man with a beard and a younger man - facing each other indoors near a window.
Festivals

Rialto – first look review

by Tom Bond

Pete Mackie Burns' first rate follow-up to Daphne explores the repressed homosexuality of a shy dock worker.
Elderly woman and young girl sitting together in contemplative poses.
Festivals

Tommaso – first look review

by Tom Bond

Ferrara digs deep into his personal life to deliver a moving character study starring Willem Dafoe.
Two people in traditional Asian dress, a woman in a pink kimono with a red floral accessory and a man in dark clothing, in a lush green outdoor setting.
Festivals

Family Romance, LLC – first look review

by Tom Bond

Werner Herzog takes a sideways look at modern romance through the lens of Japan’s performance industry.
Two adults - a woman in a colourful patterned jumper and a man in a suit - sitting at a table and talking.
Festivals

Doubles Vies – first look review

by Tom Bond

Juliette Binoche and Guillaume Canet ponder middle-age and the changing facing of book publishing in Olivier Assayas’ intellectual drama.
Two men in white and red uniforms, discussing documents in a room with a large Christian cross illuminated in the background.

How Spike Lee bends the truth to tackle contemporary racism

by Tom Bond

In BlacKkKlansman, the director dramatises real-life events in order to make his point.
A close-up image of a man's face with an exaggerated, surprised expression on a television screen.
If You Like...

Six great films that show the dark side of the TV industry

by Tom Bond

From Network to Nightcrawler, cinema has a long history of exposing television’s rotten core.
Two people, a man and a woman, in a romantic embrace, illuminated by red and pink lighting.

Tough love in La La Land and Whiplash

by Tom Bond

Both of Damien Chazelle’s films are structured around the twin pursuits of art and romance.
Portrait of a woman surrounded by yellow flowers
In Praise Of

How Romeo + Juliet mastered the Shakespeare adaptation

by Tom Bond

Twenty years ago Baz Luhrmann put a vital contemporary spin on this timeless romantic epic.
Muscular man with rocky, scaly skin and a fierce expression flexing his arms.

The fantastic story of the worst superhero movie ever made

by Tom Bond

Roger Corman’s unreleased 1994 film The Fantastic Four was doomed from the start.
A group of four young boys standing in a forest, one pointing towards something out of view.
In Praise Of

Just Kids – why Stand by Me remains a coming-of-age classic

by Tom Bond

Rob Reiner’s touching drama sees four friends say goodbye to the safety and stability of childhood.
Woman with long, wavy blonde hair wearing a blue top, looking slightly to the side with a thoughtful expression.

Should we be wary when our favourite actors become superheroes?

by Tom Bond

The prospect of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel is cause for celebration and concern.

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.