Movie reviews of Garry Arnot

Ridley Scott presents the type of old fashioned biopic that feels like it’s gone out of favour of late, but it works as a character study due to the tyrannical central performance. Review

With a winning turn from Paul Dano at its plucky underdog heart, Dumb Money is worth the investment. Review

Fans of the franchise will appreciate the signature style of this outing with Craig Fairbrass in brilliantly bone-crunching form, but as well as sandwiching itself in between two previous chapters, this works as a standalone revenge flick. Review

Bringing well-worn material back into the light in a unique and innovative way, Hope Dickson Leach’s version of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is a stunning achievement. Beguiling in its skilful execution, the classic tale is reignited with themes of political greed and power that still feel very timely today. Review

Though there are some interesting ideas at play, the elements never burn as bright as they should in the execution. Not funny enough to be considered a comedy or romantic enough to be a romance, Afire is a confused portrait of an artist as an insufferable prat. Review

An impressive and visually striking debut from Freeman and Ping, Femme plays in the dangerous territory between romance and revenge, and its complex ideas are expressed through two compelling double-sided performances. Review

There’s an honesty to Passages that feels refreshingly authentic, Sachs recognising and more importantly normalising the messy lifestyles we often lead. Through this lens, his toxic love triangle is dangerously spiky, artfully abstract, but shaped into something special by the central trio of performances. Review

Masterfully pitched with the right balance of sweetness and cynicism, You Hurt My Feelings is another indie triumph from writer-director Nicole Holofcener. Review

Inventive, funny, and with an important message at its heart, Peter Sohn’s sophomore feature Elemental is exactly what you would expect from a Disney Pixar romcom. Review

In a time where the crowd-pleasing British dramedy feels like a thing of the past, Giedroyc’s Greatest Days fills the void nicely. Could it be magic? Probably not quite, but an enjoyable leading turn from Aisling Bea certainly shines. Review

With equal parts darkness and daftness, Smoking Causes Coughing is a madcap anthology that successfully showcases Quentin Dupieux’s vivid imagination. Review

War Pony is a compelling, faithful fable, and introduces a terrific Jojo Bapteise Whiting to our screens. Review

Efficient and economic with its budget, Love Without Walls achieves an enduring positivity that shines through its British miserabilism. Review

With his technical prowess paired with Affleck’s entertaining turn as a grizzled cop fighting his demons, the film makes for passable popcorn escapism…but the rehashed screenplay probably should’ve stayed in drafts. Review

Master Gardener marks a fine, cultivated finish to his triptych of tales, with a quietly brilliant central turn from Edgerton at its root. Review

Squandering the opportunity to let Nic Cage go ‘full cage’ in vampire mode, McKay plays him out of position with a supporting role in Renfield, and this ultimately sucks the lifeblood out of a film that never manages to settles on a tone. Review

Using cinema as his loudspeaker with a daring, visceral and vital picture, Daniel Goldhaber makes a bold but equally thought-provoking statement and How to Blow Up a Pipeline amplifies Malm’s manifesto with explosive impact. Review

Directors Horvath and Jelenic do a decent job of building the world for the big screen but if they want to have the same joy as its source material, they’ll need to level up for the sequel. Review

Daring, sexy, shocking, and wickedly funny, Sanctuary is a red-hot two hander that never quite lets us know who’s on top. Review

Fuelled by unjust politics and an aching ambition for freedom, Rodriguez presents Prison 77 as a picture that is both perceptive in its historical storytelling, and powerfully intimate in its study of how Manuel is strengthened and reshaped by his sentence. Review

Taking on such multifaceted storytelling can often be a risk in filmmaking, but this is an accomplished piece of work. Introducing a fantastic child actor in Sally Dramé to the big screen and blending its genres together in a cauldron of style and substance, The Five Devils marks a terrific sophomore effort from Léa Mysius. Review

Most will be well aware of the revolutionary BlackBerry smartphone and now, thanks to writer and director Matt Johnson’s brilliantly offbeat gags-to-riches flick, the madcap minds behind the mobile, and the friendship they had, can be remembered too. Review

An admirably ambitious debut from director Schaad, there are moments of greatness within this odd puzzle of identity. However, with such a playful premise to work with, Skin Deep only really scratches the surface of its own potential. Review

Capturing the nuances of the protagonist’s situation with intelligence and compassion, the director Zlotowski fully realises the complexities of her script; she tells the story not in the black and white but through the many greys of this subject matter. Review