The Case for Best Picture: Joker

Written by Hiram Harrington Full disclosure: I loved Joker. I sat in the cinema, watching it for the first time, and laughed, gasped, and held my breath as much as any director could have hoped for. At this stage of the game, it seems almost gross for me to champion Todd Philip’s Joker. In a

The Case for Best Picture: The Irishman

Written by Barry Murphy There should be no debate around which film should win best picture at the 2020 Academy Awards. The Irishman is the perfect conclusion to one of Hollywood’s most storied careers and is a film so flawless that the only shots that can seemingly be taken at it are concerning its lengthy

The Case for Best Picture: Marriage Story

Written by Alison Traynor The Oscars have always provided an intriguing lens through which an era’s culture can be examined, and this year’s Best Feature contenders are no exception. Joker’s nomination, for example, has plenty to say about contemporary Western concerns, for it demonstrates that a lack of mental health resources is an increasingly serious

The Case for Best Picture: Parasite

Written by Eoin O’Donnell With every new year comes the inevitable period of tribalism that pits all manner of incomparable films against each other like rabid sports teams: awards season. It’s the time where great movies are reduced to one-sentence dismissals and brushed aside like dirt in the hopes of holding up your own indisputable,

Parasite

Review by Andrew Connolly Far more attention should have been paid to Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s speech after being awarded the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. He challenged filmgoers to accept subtitles as a way to explore non-English cinema. Parasite is an incredible argument for why we should do so. Bong’s third foray into

The Two Popes

Review by Conal Scullion The Pope is a unique figure in the political world: elected in an undemocratic vote by fellow Cardinals, they are both a President and a King, while also embodying the spirit of the Catholic Church. The Two Popes is a spiritual yet political film, displaying the struggles of both Benedict XVI,

Queen & Slim

Review by Sophie Furlong Tighe Queen & Slim opens on a familiar but incredibly modern scene: two people on a tinder date. It’s awkward and stilted like many first interactions. Immediately we see the difference between the two characters; Queen (Jodie-Turner Smith) feeling uncomfortable in the dingy diner Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) takes her to, Slim

Long Day’s Journey into Night

Review by Christopher Kestell Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (no relation to the play of the same name by Eugene O’Neill) stars Huang Jue and Tang Wei and is easily one of the most unforgettable cinematic experiences you will ever have, whether you enjoy it or not. Ostensibly the story of a man

Jojo Rabbit

Review by Luke Bradley If trailers hadn’t given the game away, Jojo Rabbit’s opening sequence, accompanied by a German dub of The Beatles’ ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’, would wisely sets the tone for the film ahead. Taiki Waititi, the mastermind behind Thor: Ragnarok and Hunt for the Wilderpeople, has made a film about

1917

Review by Eoin O’Donnell With 1917, Sam Mendes has created what might just be the most frighteningly real time capsule into war ever put to screen, and somehow still delivered a satisfying and moving narrative. The First World War has long been untapped potential for modern filmmaking, but now it seems that purpose has been