Erebus: Into The Unknown (2014)
★★★☆☆
A dramatic reconstruction of New Zealand’s worst air disaster, Charlotte Purdy’s Erebus: Into The Unknown loses itself in the snows of Antarctica.
Review Of The Year: 2014
“Life is a journey, not a destination”. And so is film. We explore the journey of film as we look back over the highlights of 2014 and give a sneak preview into the ones to watch out for in 2015.
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Unbroken (2014)
★★★☆☆
A well-deserved and accomplished tribute to a survivor’s trials of war, Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken is nevertheless a shallow experience of suffering.
Kon-Tiki (2012)
★★★☆☆
Friends since childhood, Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg sail through their Norse saga of adventure, friendship and trust with a handsome parable on film-making.
The Circle / Der Kreis (2014)
★★★★☆
Going back to the future through interviews with Switzerland’s first gay married couple, Stefan Haupt’s half-documentary The Circle reveals a postwar openness ahead of its time.
The Green Prince (2014)
★★★☆☆
A fascinating tale of friendship and betrayal, Nadav Schulman’s documentary The Green Prince reminds us of the importance of placing ethics over politics.
Eastern Boys (2013)
★★★★☆
A strangely romantic tale of east meets west, Robin Campillo’s Eastern Boys brings European immigration from the political into the personal scale.
Concerning Violence (2014)
★★★★☆
A visual poem on the sinister violence of colonisation, Göran Olsson’s Concerning Violence appeals for a new kind of future for Africa.
Stations Of The Cross / Kreuzweg (2014)
★★★☆☆
A spare, structuralist story of a girl’s Passion as she offers herself to God, Dietrich Brüggemann’s Stations Of The Cross is quickly reduced to easy finger-wagging.
Winter Sleep / Kis uykusu (2014)
★★★★★
Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Winter Sleep is a devastating portrait of a man who tries to do good but radiates an icy chill.
The Imitation Game (2014)
★★★★☆
Galvanising intense performances from a stellar cast, Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game is a war movie to stir the blood, but trips up over its queer hero.
Leviathan (2014)
★★★★☆
As the cold wind of corruption blows through the Siberian steppes, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan sees no hope of redemption. Or maybe just a little.
Set Fire To The Stars (2014)
★★★☆☆
A monochrome portrait of poet Dylan Thomas running amuck stateside, Andy Goddard’s Set Fire To The Stars runs high on character but low on emotion.
Mr Turner (2014)
★★★★★
Mike Leigh’s dazzling biopic of one of Britain’s most celebrated and controversial artists is a masterpiece which earned Timothy Spall the Best Actor award at Cannes.