***** Tom is 40, and has lived in the same care home for over 20 years. He has Fragile X Syndrome, a kind of ‘autism with bells on,’ as his sister Kate puts it. His life in the pleasant country surroundings of Bystock Court is peaceful and routine, which may seem somewhat at odds with […]
Read More Hidden Gems: Mission to Lars****½ Tish and Fonny are in love. She is 19 and pregnant; he is 22 and in prison. So starts If Beale Street Could Talk, an adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel of the same name. Equal parts romance story, family drama and indictment of racial injustice in America, the story follows Tish and her […]
Read More Review: If Beale Street Could Talk***½ In a world that doesn’t value art, is it a crime to nurture genius? It sure seems that way to Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the disenchanted teacher and amateur poet at the centre of Sara Colangelo’s The Kindergarten Teacher. A remake of a 2014 Israeli film, The Kindergarten Teacher is a tale of disillusionment […]
Read More Review: The Kindergarten Teacher*½ Ah, Fullmetal Alchemist, Hiromu Arakawa’s beloved fantasy manga that takes a forgotten science and uses it to tackle themes of corruption, war, and hubris in a fictional world full of multifaceted characters with challenging backstories and complex moral philosophies, each of whom grow and change through their extraordinary experiences and relationships with each other. […]
Read More Manga Madness: Fullmetal Alchemist (2017)