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.
“This recurring theme of women fighting against their suppression and abuse at the hands of men who fear them, despise them, or sometimes both, is by far the most interesting aspect of When Animals Dream.”
An Essay by Josh Slater-Williams
“Heller draws a refreshing beauty from her “this is what it is” approach in The Diary of a Teenage Girl, getting tenderness out of content too often used simply to titillate, shock or be used for didactic tirades.”
“Fully asserting the series reboot mantra, M:I II eschews the original’s ethos in favour of half a Hitchcock riff (a lot of Notorious, with a pinch of To Catch a Thief) and half traditional, near self-parodic Woo bombast.”
“Phoenix’s devastating final scene pretty much erases a need for the specifics of the moral blindness.”
“The tender performance of McKellen, as might be expected, is a reliable anchor keeping things afloat; the actor seemingly relishing a major turn free of mutants and wizardry — a fantasy icon on fine form as a man not fond of the fantastic.”
“A BBC Films production from the minds of Outnumbered, What We Did on Our Holiday often looks and feels like an extended sitcom episode rather than a film.”
“It’s an era epic that’s both euphoric and melancholy, riveting despite running on the ever fleeting. It’s the new best film from one of the world’s greatest new directors.”
“The film is nothing if not an audacious directorial debut; a grand, horrifying cinematic mission statement that might particularly appeal to the likes of Michael Haneke and, especially, Gaspar Noé.”
“Change doesn’t always have to be monumental, and small films like Tu dors Nicole can still be great without high stakes.”
“The shell of Gemma Bovery makes it seem like there might be something weighty within, but it’s too empty an affair.”
“This Poltergeist is an efficient, amiably entertaining riff on an established thrill ride, but the film does little to spook long-term.”
“A multiple award winner at the Director’s Fortnight sidebar of Cannes last year, Les combattants, the charming feature debut of director Thomas Cailley, finally arrives in North America under the name Love at First Fight, an unfortunate pun that does a disservice to a romantic comedy that’s much more interesting than its new title may suggest.”
“An Olivier Assayas film in which an artist reflects on their own creative past in a new light — there must be something in the air at Sils Maria.”
“Far from the Madding Crowd is a uniquely intimate adaptation in its focus on accumulating small moments and emotions to provide spark to its characters.”