Category Archives: Reviews

FILM REVIEW: Tommy Lee Jones’s ‘The Homesman’

Posted on November 21, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett Tommy Lee Jones told me at a recent Bafta screening that he would not want to make a movie without composer Marco Beltrami and when you see his new film “The Homesman”, you can see why.

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FILM REVIEW: Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’

Posted on November 6, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett Christopher Nolan’s entertaining sci-fi epic “Interstellar” is a swashbuckling adventure set in the far reaches of space with a mix of scientific fact and flimflam, and lots of black holes, wormholes and plot holes.

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THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Made in Dagenham: The Musical’

Posted on November 4, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett David Arnold has seldom appeared happier. You can only imagine what it’s like to walk along the Strand in London and see the splash of colour at the Adelphi Theatre that proclaims your very first West End … Continue reading →

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Film review: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper in ‘Serena’

Posted on October 24, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett Among the many good things about the new Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper period drama “Serena” is that you’re never quite sure where it’s headed but the trouble is that when it’s over you’re not entirely certain … Continue reading →

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FILM REVIEW: Brad Pitt in David Ayer’s ‘Fury’

Posted on October 22, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett The new Brad Pitt World War II film “Fury” is an old-fashioned combat picture with tough guys familiar from many platoon yarns but it is very modern in its fast and furious editing and taste for acres … Continue reading →

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Matthew Bourne’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ a dance triumph

Posted on October 15, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett When you are not well versed in an art form it’s a joy to feel suddenly that you get it. Matthew Bourne’s production of “Lord of the Flies”, choreographed by co-director Scott Ambler, is so vital, clear … Continue reading →

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FILM REVIEW: David Fincher’s ‘Gone Girl’

Posted on October 1, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett Gillian Flynn’s hit crime novel “Gone Girl” is great fun but it turns out the book’s huge plot twist is such a vital part of its enjoyment that many who enjoyed it will find the film a … Continue reading →

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Bill Murray in ‘St. Vincent’

Posted on September 15, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Bill Murray is just the way you want him in Theodore Melfi’s engaging comedy “St. Vincent” as an ageing ragamuffin and dedicated grouch whose gruff exterior is breached by a determined kid who won’t take any … Continue reading →

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Alan Rickman’s ‘A Little Chaos’

Posted on September 15, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Handsome and creditable, Alan Rickman’s period drama “A Little Chaos”, about the only woman to design an attraction at Louis XIV’s Versailles gardens, is more dogged than inspired. Kate Winslett plays Madame Sabine De Barra, … Continue reading →

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Morten Tyldum’s ‘The Imitation Game’

Posted on September 15, 2014 by admin

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Morten Tyldum’s engrossing drama “The Imitation Game”, about World War II codebreaker Alan Turing, gives Benedict Cumberbatch another complex character to explore and the result is a film that will please audiences and collect major … Continue reading →

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