April 10, 2026

Reviews

Latest film reviews

Avatar:  The Way of Water  (12A) |Close-Up Film Review
 It’s now thirteen years since James Cameron gave us the previous Avatar, at the end of which earthman Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) became a fully fledged Nav’I, on the far off moon Pandora, where the people are blue and earth people cannot breathe the atmosphere.   

Avatar:  The Way of Water  (12A) |Close-Up Film Review

Carol Allen December 15, 2022
It’s now thirteen years since James Cameron gave us the previous Avatar, at the end of which earthman...
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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PG) |Close-Up Film Review
 This film version of the story of the wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy is very different from the Disney one. This is after all del Toro, whose dark imagination gave us Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PG) |Close-Up Film Review

Carol Allen December 9, 2022
This film version of the story of the wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy...
Read More Read more about Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PG) |Close-Up Film Review<span class='yasr-stars-title-average'><div class='yasr-stars-title yasr-rater-stars' id='yasr-overall-rating-rater-466c4e99b29dd' data-rating='4' data-rater-starsize='16'> </div></span>
Three Minutes: A Lengthening (12) |Close-Up Film Review
 A delicately directed film made with affection both for its subject matter and the history behind it. The documentary shows us a lot about filmmaking, and we get to know something about the life of the person who filmed the original three-minute reel.

Three Minutes: A Lengthening (12) |Close-Up Film Review

Carlie Newman December 4, 2022
A delicately directed film made with affection both for its subject matter and the history behind it....
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India Sweets and Spices  (12A) |Close-Up Film Review
 While American films featuring stories about black and Hispanic characters have been around for a very long time, movies featuring Americans of Indian and indeed Far Eastern heritage are comparatively new kids on the block. 

India Sweets and Spices  (12A) |Close-Up Film Review

Carol Allen December 3, 2022
While American films featuring stories about black and Hispanic characters have been around for a very long...
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The period and setting are evoked in crisp black and white, opening with archive footage of Algeria which tells us clearly that we have two cultures in the same physical place but not interacting with each other.

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Carol Allen April 10, 2026
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