Top 20 films of 2018
The unlucky few which deserve a special mention: The bizarre headtrip Mandy, the muted excellence of Leave No Trace, Saulnier’s moody Hold the Dark, the pulpy brilliant first hour of Bad Times at the El Royale,… Continue reading
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First Reformed review
Paul Schrader’s First Reformed is a brutally honest personal expression of despair. A powerful worldly outcry taps into the hopelessness of the pressing environmental crisis. First Reformed unmasks the raging hypocrisy, corporate gluttony… Continue reading
Hereditary review
The recurring motif of a detailed miniaturist home has been etched in my mind ever since seeing Hereditary. It’s a troubling metaphor for Ari Aster’s intricate yet generation spanning horror film. For all… Continue reading
A Quiet Place Review
The sound of silence is given new meaning in John Krasinski’s nerve-shredding sci-fi thriller. The story of a family seeking to evade a mysterious alien species is suffocating and tense in its sharp… Continue reading
The Shape of Water
“The only thing that comes to mind is a poem, whispered by someone in love, hundreds of years ago: “Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your… Continue reading
HMZ Film highlights of 2017
Here’s a round-up of the films that really resonated with me in 2017. The work below moved, thrilled, terrified and often sparked personal reflection.These are my personal highlights. I’d love to hear your… Continue reading
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
A family man is faced with the unthinkable in this nerve-shredding psychological drama. The Greek myth of Iphigenia is given the Yorgian treatment. Lanthimos continues to astonish with his blend of tragi-comic… Continue reading
IT review special- Part 2: We all float down here
Cary Fukunaga and what might have been After Cary Fukunaga stepped down from the project after four years citing creative differences, it was a worrying sign. He was set to bring… Continue reading
IT special- Part 1: The origins of fear
It was on a cold, dark night some sixteen years ago when I picked up that ‘clown’ film from the dusty shelves of Kamran’s VHS rental store, the Pakistani Blockbusters. I won’t ever… Continue reading
A Ghost Story that will never die
There isn’t anything quite like this beautifully crafted ode to life, love and legacy. It’s one of the strangest but most affecting things i’ve seen in a long time. David Lowery has crafted… Continue reading
Get Out: A new breed of social thriller
Jordan Peele shoots a crackling firecracker into the mouth of the beast with this simmering debut. It does for genre cinema what Joss Wheadon’s game changing Cabin in the Woods did back in… Continue reading
Glowing blue and basking in the Moonlight
It was on the dimly lit streets of Paris following a hard day’s work where I searched for the cinema showing a midnight screening of Moonlight. It was a fittingly epic setting for… Continue reading
The turning tides of Manchester by the Sea
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Kenneth Lonergan’s muted tale of loss ripped out my heart and stomped all over it. There’s a profound sadness in Manchester by… Continue reading
The Deafening Sound of Silence
Scorsese bares his soul in this sprawling odyssey of faith, doubt and the systematic persecution of a religious movement. Silence rattles the spiritual cage with a ferocious and drawn-out intensity. It’s a… Continue reading
HMZ’s Top films of 2016
Here’s a round up of the films that really resonated with me in 2016. The work below moved, thrilled, terrified and often sparked personal reflection.This list is, of course, entirely subjective and are… Continue reading
Arrival (2016) Review
Director: Denis Villeneuve Writer: Eric Heisserer, Ted Chiang (novella) Certificate: 12A Running Time: 1hr 56 Mins Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker “If you could see your whole life laid… Continue reading
The Blair Witch (2016)
Director: Adam Wingard Writer: Simon Barrett Cast: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid, Brandon Scott, Wes Robinson Certificate: 15 Running Time: 1hr 29 Mins A cultural milestone… Continue reading
The Neon Demon (2016 review)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn, Mary Laws, Polly Stenham Cast: Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman, Jena Malone, Bella Heathcote, Abbey Lee Certificate: 18 Running Time: 1hr 58 Mins “Beauty isn’t everything.… Continue reading
A reflection on Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups (2016)
Written and Directed by Terrence Malick Cast: Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Freida Pinto, Brian Dennehy, Wes Bentley “Once there was a young prince whose father,… Continue reading
The journey to self-publishing my debut short story: ‘The Adversary’
My first short story ‘The Adversary’ has now been self-published as an Ebook and is available to download for FREE on Smashwords and many other sites including Apple (operates iBooks stores in 51 countries),… Continue reading
The Witch (2016) Review
Written and Directed by Robert Eggers Certificate: 15 Running Time: 1hr 32 Mins Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?” Robert… Continue reading
The Revenant (2016) Review
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Writer: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mark L. Smith, Michael Punke (novel) Certificate: 15 Running Time: 2hr 36 Mins Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck Iñárritu’s work has captured… Continue reading
The Hateful Eight (2016) Review
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Cast: Samuel L Jackson, Walton Goggins, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern Certificate: 15 Running Time: 3hr 7… Continue reading
The Voices: HMZ Film exclusively interviews screenwriter Michael Perry
The Voices is one of 2015’s stand out films (my full review here) and features in my top 20 of the year. I recently interviewed acclaimed producer and screenwriter of the film, Michael… Continue reading
HMZ Film’s Top Picks of 2015
As 2015 draws to a close, here is a round up of all the films that struck a chord and continue to linger on the mind. There’s an eclectic blend of genres from… Continue reading
Bridge of Spies (2015) Review
Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Matt Charman, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance Certificate: 12A Running Time: 2 hr 21 Mins Spielberg builds a bridge over the murky waters of… Continue reading
Crimson Peak (2015) Review
Director: Guillermo Del Toro Writers: Guillermo Del Toro and Matthew Robbins Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston Certificate: 15 Running Time: 1hr 59 Mins ‘Ghosts are real, that much I know.… Continue reading
The Martian (2015) Review
Director: Ridley Scott Writers: Drew Goddard (screenplay), Andy Weir (novel) Certificate: 12A Running Time: 2hr 22mins Cast: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Michael Pena On our last fateful encounter… Continue reading
Irrational Man (2015) Review
Writer and Director: Woody Allen Certificate: 15 Running Time: 1hr 35 Mins Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Jamie Blackley, Parker Posey Irrational Man is a sumptuously gloomy comic thriller that rides… Continue reading
The Voices (2015) Review
Director: Marjane Satrapi Screenplay: Michael R. Perry Certificate: 15 Running Time: 1hr 43 minutes Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver Plot: A likable guy pursues his office crush with the advice of… Continue reading