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Effi O Blaenau (2026) Review – The Geography of Inequality
In one sentence: A troubled young woman begins to imagine a different future as she struggles against the poverty and isolation of life in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Where we are born can shape our lives in ways we rarely choose. Opportunity, education and even hope are often determined as much by postcode as personal ambition. Towards…
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Power Ballad (2026) Review – Two Sides of the Same Song
In one sentence: An ageing wedding singer and a fading pop star discover that one song has the power to change both of their lives. Success in music is rarely straightforward. Talent alone is not always enough and timing, opportunity and a little luck can often prove just as important. John Carney’s Power Ballad explores…
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500 Miles (2026) Review – The Journey Home
In one sentence: Two young brothers flee their fractured home and travel to their estranged grandfather’s house in Ireland, where some of their happiest family memories were made. Sometimes a film quietly arrives in cinemas with very little fanfare. No huge marketing campaign, no endless trailers, just a simple promise of a good story. These…
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Rebuilding (2025) Review – When the Smoke Clears
In one sentence: After a devastating wildfire destroys his ranch, a struggling cowboy must rebuild both his life and his relationship with his daughter. Sometimes a film does not need grand set pieces or dramatic twists to make an impact. Sometimes it simply needs to make the audience feel something. Quietly released drama Rebuilding, starring…
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Madfabulous (2026) Review – A Most Extravagant Life
In one sentence: A flamboyant Welsh aristocrat inherits a vast fortune and spends it pursuing art, performance and self-expression, regardless of the cost. It is not often that you get the opportunity to watch a Welsh film in the cinema, so when the chance presents itself, it is worth grabbing with both hands. For such…
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Adore (2013) Review – Tides of Desire
In one sentence: Adore follows two lifelong friends who find their bond tested when each begins a secret affair with the other’s son, setting in motion a tangled web of love, loyalty and taboo desire. Cinema frequently explores forbidden love, but rarely with the ambiguous morality and emotional nuance found in Adore. The film challenges…
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Master Cheng (2019) Review – A Slow Burn Served with Heart
In one sentence: When a widowed Chinese chef and his young son arrive in a quiet Finnish town searching for a mysterious contact, an unexpected kitchen partnership sparks healing, friendship and a gently unfolding love story. Not every film needs high stakes or dramatic twists to leave an impact. Master Cheng proves that a story…
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Rental Family (2026) Review – Performing Connection in a Lonely World
In one sentence: Rental Family follows a struggling American actor in Tokyo who finds unexpected purpose when he begins performing emotional roles in real people’s lives, blurring the line between acting and genuine connection. In a world that feels more connected than ever, many people are quietly lonelier and cinema has become a space to…
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Balloon (2018) Review – A Remarkable True Escape
In one sentence: Balloon tells the astonishing true story of two families who attempt to escape across the Iron Curtain in a homemade hot air balloon. Mark Twain once said “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth isn’t”and no quote could ring truer for German…
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Rogue (2007) Review – Australia’s Underrated Creature Feature
In one sentence: Rogue is an Australian creature feature that follows a tourist group’s harrowing encounter with a deadly crocodile. Creature features vary wildly in quality, but Rogue, from Wolf Creek’s Greg McLean, is one of the best. Its poor box office performance did not reflect its quality. Fortunately over time it has found the…
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