Latest Movie Reviews | Little White Lies

Reviews

A woman in a fancy dress, wearing a sparkling crown and ornate necklace, holding a white gloved hand near her face against a countryside backdrop.
Review

Corsage

by Caitlin Quinlan

Vicky Krieps gives an acting masterclass as the despondent Empress Elisabeth of Austria.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Woman in a red dress and man in a tuxedo walking on a city street at night.
Review

Babylon

by Hannah Strong

Damien Chazelle’s big-budget tale of big dreams in 1920s Hollywood hits an alarming number of bum notes.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Blue humanoid figure with tribal jewellery, against a mountainous landscape with flying creatures.
Review

Avatar: The Way of Water

by David Jenkins

A gaudy blue folly which encapsulates James Cameron’s strength as an image-maker, but weakness as a storyteller.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Elderly man in a green cap and scarf sitting at a desk, surrounded by various objects including a guitar and a box.
Review

Mr Bachmann and his Class

by David Jenkins

Maria Speth’s intimate non-fiction epic profiles a spiky but saintly German schoolteacher and his students.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two women in a dimly lit tunnel, bathed in purple and blue lighting, looking thoughtful.
Review

The Silent Twins

by Hannah Strong

The heartbreaking story of Jennifer and June Gibbons feels undersold by Agnieszka Smoczynska’s drama.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Animated characters, a man and a woman, in an emotional interaction. Warm tones of orange and blue predominate.
Review

Charlotte

by Lydia Figes

The artist Charlotte Salomon, who died in the Holocaust, receives a long-overdue biography through this inventive animated film.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A bizarre, fantasy-like scene featuring two eccentric, hairy creatures, one holding a parchment scroll and the other gesticulating emphatically. The image has a warm, earthy colour palette with brick walls and wooden furnishings as the backdrop.
Review

Pinocchio

by Kambole Campbell

Guillermo del Toro finally realises his long-gestating passion project, with charming results.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Close-up of a serious-looking Black man with a beard, wearing a dark coat, against a blurred, wintry background.
Review

Emancipation

by David Jenkins

Will Smith brings stern dramatic heft to an enslaved man making a dash for freedom in Antoine Fuqua’s tonally mish-mashed action drama.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Group of people, mostly men, standing outside a building with shuttered windows. Vintage image in sepia tones.
Review

Three Minutes: A Lengthening

by Marina Ashioti

A home movie becomes an important historical artefact, revealing the devastation of the Holocaust for the Jewish residents of a small Polish town.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Five people, two men and three women, standing together in front of a brick wall. They are wearing various outfits from the 1980s era, including colourful clothing and accessories.
Review

White Noise

by Hannah Strong

Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig reunite as a couple grappling with their fear of death in Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect