Reviews

American Fiction review – wry literary satire is a mixed bag

By David Jenkins

Jeffrey Wright shines in a bold contemporary arts satire that doesn’t quite manage to hit all of its targets.

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The Zone of Interest review – a towering, awful masterwork

By Hannah Strong

Jonathan Glazer's stark film about the domestic routine of the Höss family next door to Auschwitz is a colossal, profoundly disturbing achievement in filmmaking.

review LWLies Recommends

Migration review – A sorely underpowered duck tale

By David Jenkins

A ripe set-up in which a family of ducks migrate in the wrong direction is squandered in this haphazard and empty family animation.

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This Blessed Plot review – a rough-hewn Brit ghost story

By David Jenkins

The latest from British non-fiction filmmaker Marc Issacs offers an ethereal cross-cut of working class lives in deepest Essex.

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The Color Purple review – rides on its stellar performances

By David Jenkins

Blitz Bazawule delivers an all singing, all dancing update of Alice Walker’s harrowing story of women in postbellum Georgia.

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Samsara review – a quiet, radical masterwork

By Neil Young

Lois Patiño travels from Laos to Zanzibar via the bardo in this unique and jaw-dropping tale of bodily transcendence.

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All of Us Strangers review – a supernova of a film

By Hannah Strong

Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal are electric in Andrew Haigh's twist on the modern ghost story, adapted from Taichi Yamada's cult novel.

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Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer review – shine on you crazy German

By Adam Woodward

Thomas von Steinaecker flips the camera on one of Germany's favourite filmmaking sons, investigating his long and far-reaching career.

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The Kitchen review – vindicating and explosive

By Rogan Graham

Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares' feature debut is a kinetic, prescient thriller about gentrification and isolation in a near-future version of London.

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The Book of Clarence review – hilarious highs, jumbled lows

By Cheyenne Bunsie

Jeymes Samuel's second feature follows the misadventures of one of the thieves who ended up on the cross next to Jesus Christ himself.

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The Holdovers review – the most scintillating festive movie in years

By Lillian Crawford

A curmudgeonly teacher, a grieving cook and a petulant young student find themselves thrown together for the holidays in Alexander Payne's excellent Christmassy dramedy.

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Mean Girls review – defanged take on a teen classic

By Hannah Strong

This movie based on a musical based on a movie based on a book retains none of the biting wit that charmed audiences in its original iteration.

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The Boys in the Boat review – gentle, forgettable sports drama

By Hannah Strong

Callum Turner puts in a fine performance as Olympic rower Joe Rantz in George Clooney's latest cosy slice of American history.

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The Beekeeper review – not enough bees

By Hannah Strong

David Ayer's latest action thriller is an underwhelming story about a retired secret agent who swears revenge against a tech bro scam company.

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The Disappearance of Shere Hite – a profile doc with hidden depths

By David Jenkins

The life of the idiosyncratic US sexologist is parlayed into a story of rank misogyny and violent moral conservatism.

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Poor Things review – Lanthimos at his most playful and comedic

By Savina Petkova

Emma Stone gives a career-defining performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ opulent provocation about the human body as a nexus for pleasure and pain.

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Scala!!! review – an exhaustive and lively document of a cult scene

By David Jenkins

An affectionate new documentary celebrates one of London's most beloved cinema institutions and the patrons who made it mythological.

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One Life review – protect Anthony Hopkins at all costs

By Adam Woodward

Anthony Hopkins is sensational in James Hawes' otherwise fairly conventional biopic of Nicholas Winton, who was responsible for rescuing hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.

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About Little White Lies

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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