xanbrooks
Four directors on how they are breathing new life into road movies
From Japan to Iran via Ireland, there’s a new generation at the wheel of this classic cinematic form
Xan Brooks, Wendy Ide and Guy Lodge
10, Jul, 2022 @6:00 AM
Amy & Lan by Sadie Jones review – larks and losses on a rural commune
A fabulously funny and heart-rendingly sad tale of childhood in the ‘dysfunctional utopia’ of a rackety smallholding
Xan Brooks
30, Jun, 2022 @6:30 AM
Cannes 2022 week two roundup: a bloated Elvis and a brush with greatness
Baz Luhrmann’s Presley biopic was an extravagant bust, but Ruben Östland and Kelly Reichardt offered satirical entertainment and quiet wonder
Xan Brooks
28, May, 2022 @11:00 AM
Cannes 2022 week one roundup: a return to form – and Top Gun reborn
Back in its traditional May slot, the film festival was in boisterous spirits. Week one’s wildly eclectic offerings ranged from Italian arthouse grandeur to Tom Cruise flying high
Xan Brooks
21, May, 2022 @3:00 PM
Three Thousand Years of Longing review – Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba in Mad Max: fairy overload
George Miller’s belated followup to 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road is a consciously unfashionable fantasy about a wary academic and a chatty genie that may leave you wishing for more
Xan Brooks in Cannes
21, May, 2022 @9:06 AM
‘We have to do it’: Cannes 2022 jury emphasise vital role of cinema in turbulent world
As the 75th film festival returns to the Croisette after two years of cancellation and compromise, Titane star Vincent Lindon and jury members were keen to emphasise the relevance of art – and crucial role of secrecy
Xan Brooks
17, May, 2022 @4:55 PM
Political, provocative and preposterous: why Cannes is a ‘cathedral of cinema’
The French cultural institution, which turns 75 this year, has always been a battle between radicalism and elitism – but that’s what makes it so essential
Xan Brooks
16, May, 2022 @8:00 AM
Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle review – a captivating tragicomedy
Arthur Hirari transforms the true story of a Japanese soldier’s refusal to accept the end of the second world war into a heartbreaking drama of the ridiculous
Xan Brooks
17, Apr, 2022 @11:30 AM
The Great Movement review – compellingly strange Bolivian drama
A former miner uncovers dangerous magic in the hidden corners of La Paz
Xan Brooks
17, Apr, 2022 @11:00 AM
The Lost City review – treasure hunt hokum
A novelist and her cover star hit the treasure trail, with hired goons on their tail, in this hyperactive adventure romp
17, Apr, 2022 @10:30 AM
Operation Mincemeat review – Blimpish take on Ben Macintyre’s spy thriller
Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald provide some ballast in John Madden’s overburdened adaptation
Xan Brooks
17, Apr, 2022 @10:00 AM
Benedetta review – Paul Verhoeven’s shockingly wholesome Tuscan nunnery tale
Verhoeven is on surprisingly tame form in this tale of erotic profanity in 17th-century Italy
Xan Brooks
16, Apr, 2022 @2:00 PM
1 / 211 pages