Glasgow Film Festival Review: Stephen Ringer’s ‘Weepah Way for Now’
“It’s a touching depiction of a bond between sisters, but it doesn’t really create such a bond with viewers.”
Josh Slater-Williams
Josh Slater-Williams (@jslaterwilliams) is a freelance writer based in England. Alongside writing for Vague Visages, he is a regular contributor to independent British magazine The Skinny and has written for Little White Lies magazine, VODzilla.co, The Film Stage, and PopOptiq.
A Serious Investigation: The Coen Brothers’ ‘Raising Arizona’ (1987)
Leading up to the release of Hail, Caesar!, Vague Visages explores the work of Joel and Ethan Coen.
BFI Southbank’s Jean-Luc Godard Retrospective: Highlights from Anna Karina’s ‘Bande à part’ Q&A
BFI Southbank: Anna Karina on Jean-Luc Godard and “Bande à part”
‘Whisper of the Heart’ and the Tragedy of Yoshifumi Kondō
“What would the world of animation be like if Yoshifumi Kondō had lived to make another film?”
‘Joy’ Sells You When It Becomes More Streamlined
“In comparing the new film with American Hustle and The Fighter, Russell’s frenetic style succeeds in the previous two through a shifting focus that feels at bit more at home in the context of a sprawling ensemble piece.”
Josh Slater-Williams’ Top 10 Films of 2015
Josh Slater-Williams (@jslaterwilliams) is a freelance writer based in England. Alongside writing for Vague Visages, he is a regular contributor to independent British magazine The Skinny and has written for Little White Lies magazine, VODzilla.co, The Film Stage, and PopOptiq.
Eye on Iñárritu: ‘Babel’ or (‘Crash’ with Delusions of Global Grandeur)
“Babel is Crash with delusions of global grandeur; a film that masquerades as a sweeping, humanistic epic, but is instead an ultimately hammy, superficial and miserablist game of connect-the-dots.”
Some Great Directorial Debuts You May Have Missed in 2015
Here’s Josh Slater-Williams on four underrated gems of the past year.
Like Its Characters’ Christmas Plans, ‘Krampus’ Is More Fun in Concept Than Execution
“As it is, it’s like a stocking crammed with too many little bits and bobs that came to mind for the stocking-stuffer, ultimately pleasing no one like one or two well-considered big gifts would have.”
Two Blistering Performances Help ‘James White’ Achieve Greatness
“In a way, James White is like a dark riff on the man-child formula, but it also works as a devastating exploration of death and decay.”
With ‘Carol,’ Todd Haynes Conveys Love Like Few Other Filmmakers
“As premature as it might be to say in a review for an initial theatrical run, Carol more than earns the right of comparison to Brief Encounter in terms of quality. Frankly, it’s one of the new great romantic films.”
Justin Kurzel’s ‘Macbeth’ Is a Solid Enough Take on ‘The Scottish Play’
“Like its eponymous character, Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of Macbeth is a film pulled in myriad directions for a sense of purpose.”
‘Spectre’ Is the ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ of the Bond Series
“If Skyfall was arguably about the James Bond character having an identity crisis, Spectre feels like the series having one.”
London Film Festival 2015 Review: Johnnie To’s ‘Office’
“Office makes you wonder if more thriller-leaning filmmakers should make a foray into the musical genre. Michael Mann’s Gypsy, anyone?”
London Film Festival 2015 Review: Karyn Kusama’s ‘The Invitation’
“Thanks to the skilled hand of director Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer’s Body), The Invitation is a deeply uncomfortable but also eerily funny skewering of the hostility that can lurk under the veil of hospitality.”
London Film Festival 2015 Review: Bao Nguyen’s ‘Live from New York!’
“The documentary suggests that the makers of Saturday Night Live, in all likelihood, probably don’t have contempt for their audience. It’s harder to say that’s the case for the team behind Live from New York!”
London Film Festival 2015 Review: Hèctor Hernández Vicens’ ‘The Corpse of Anna Fritz’
“Where this slick and sick debut falters is in its leanings towards repetition, with the same arguments played out over and over, and even some of the same set-piece conceits seeing repeat play.”
‘The Martian’ Is a Surprisingly Light-Hearted Success for Ridley Scott
“As a piece of sweeping populist entertainment, The Martian is a great success, despite a couple of issues that perturb throughout.”
VOD Review: ‘The Overnight’ Is a Sincere Sex Farce
“The Buñuelian meets the Duplassian in The Overnight, a chamber comedy of social and sexual manners from director Patrick Brice (2014’s Creep).”
Alison Brie Shines in ‘Sleeping with Other People’
“Headland’s screenplay fires a couple of blanks, which serves to only highlight some of the more token traditional rom-com tropes still on offer here. That said, when Sleeping with Other People does hit — which is a lot of the time — it’s an invigorating spicing up of formula; a winning balance of hedonism and heart that’s unapologetic about either quality.”