Black Phone 2 review: A chilling killer’s return
‘Black Phone 2’ is a rare sequel that matches the original’s creepiness, while also reimagining an iconic horror technique.
Ethan Hawke
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Review: ‘The Black Phone’ is a disturbing depiction of evil and hope
The Black Phone combines real world terror with supernatural horror as a child abductor’s latest victim receives unexpected aid in his fight for survival.
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Review: ‘Maudie’ paints a complex but fulfilling picture (Includes first-hand account)
There have been a number of movies based around characters who are underestimated or overlooked because they have a particular mental or physical challenge; frequently the person is faking a debility specifically for this purpose, but other times it’s real even though their abilities have been misjudged. More often than not, it’s outsiders who recognize their aptitude for something before those closest to them even notice. In Maudie, the main character’s talents are acknowledged by strangers and most of the world before her own family accepts she has any.
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Review: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ updates the Western for modern audiences (Includes first-hand account)
The Western is one of the most well-defined film genres, but that also opens it up to some great opportunities for genre-bending narratives. Clint Eastwood was an icon of the Old West movies, yet one of his best pictures turned the genre on its head: High Plains Drifter centred on an anti-hero determined to teach the townspeople as much of a lesson as the hooligans tormenting it. In the same sense, remakes can reimagine the original stories and provide them with different meanings or outcomes that are better suited to contemporary audiences. The 2016 version of The Magnificent Seven makes some changes to the key characters as well as the attitudes of the victims.
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Review: ‘Born to be Blue’ wants you to know there’s more to Chet Baker (Includes first-hand account)
Great power may come with great responsibility; but great talent — that comes with heartache and temptation. Sex, drugs and, in this case, jazz are a way of life not easily avoided by artists. Whether you call it a weakness or a crutch, neither fully encapsulates the power these vices can have on a person. Chet Baker was one of the best trumpet players the scene had ever seen — and he knew it. But he was also convinced he was even better on the brass when he was high. As a result, Baker spent most of his career feeding a heroin addiction. Yet in contrast, Born to be Blue portrays a brief period in the musician’s life when he wasn’t always on the nod.
