John Bleasdale

All articles by John Bleasdale

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The Things You Kill: disaster is always waiting in this taut Turkish thriller

A Turkish literary professor unravels when his mother dies in mysterious circumstances in Iranian director Alireza Khatami’s noirish nightmare.

By John Bleasdale

The Things You Kill: disaster is always waiting in this taut Turkish thriller

Festivals

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2: Kevin Costner serves up more comfort food for cowboy fans

By John Bleasdale

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2: Kevin Costner serves up more comfort food for cowboy fans

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The Brutalist: ambitious American saga shows the distinctive vision of Brady Corbet

By John Bleasdale

The Brutalist: ambitious American saga shows the distinctive vision of Brady Corbet

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Tim Burton’s unwieldy sequel is messy, messy entertainment

By John Bleasdale

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Tim Burton’s unwieldy sequel is messy, messy entertainment

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Bogancloch: Ben Rivers’ glorious new film continues his fascination with a Scottish forest-dweller

By John Bleasdale

Bogancloch: Ben Rivers’ glorious new film continues his fascination with a Scottish forest-dweller

Reviews

Twisters: a whirlwind of disaster movie clichés

By John Bleasdale

Twisters: a whirlwind of disaster movie clichés

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Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1: an unashamedly old-fashioned western

By John Bleasdale

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1: an unashamedly old-fashioned western

Reviews

Kidnapped: Marco Bellocchio’s operatic retelling of a Vatican scandal

By John Bleasdale

Kidnapped: Marco Bellocchio’s operatic retelling of a Vatican scandal

Reviews

Yannick: a disgruntled heckler hijacks a play in Quentin Dupieux’s wry comedy

By John Bleasdale

Yannick: a disgruntled heckler hijacks a play in Quentin Dupieux’s wry comedy

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Rei: grace is extended to every character in this beautiful meditation on loneliness

By John Bleasdale

Rei: grace is extended to every character in this beautiful meditation on loneliness

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Swimming Home: arty Deborah Levy adaptation never quite plumbs the depths of its characters

By John Bleasdale

Swimming Home: arty Deborah Levy adaptation never quite plumbs the depths of its characters

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Daaaaaali!: it’s as if Luis Buñuel directed a script by Monty Python

By John Bleasdale

Daaaaaali!: it’s as if Luis Buñuel directed a script by Monty Python

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The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial: William Friedkin’s final film shows his absolute mastery of his craft

By John Bleasdale

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial: William Friedkin’s final film shows his absolute mastery of his craft

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Ferrari: Michael Mann’s family melodrama spends too little time on the track

By John Bleasdale

Ferrari: Michael Mann’s family melodrama spends too little time on the track

Reviews

Falling Stars: creepy, low-budget horror conjures the season of the witch

By John Bleasdale

Falling Stars: creepy, low-budget horror conjures the season of the witch

Reviews

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: a disappointing sendoff for Harrison Ford

By John Bleasdale

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: a disappointing sendoff for Harrison Ford

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Harka rages against rising desperation in post-revolutionary Tunisia

By John Bleasdale

Harka rages against rising desperation in post-revolutionary Tunisia

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Till the End of the Night: an unconvincing exercise in neo-noir

By John Bleasdale

Till the End of the Night: an unconvincing exercise in neo-noir

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Silver Haze: a compassionate, richly realised family drama

By John Bleasdale

Silver Haze: a compassionate, richly realised family drama

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R.M.N.: there’s a sharp sting in this Transylvanian tale

By John Bleasdale

R.M.N.: there’s a sharp sting in this Transylvanian tale

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How to Blow Up a Pipeline: this subversive slice of genre entertainment delivers no-frills eco-thrills

By John Bleasdale

How to Blow Up a Pipeline: this subversive slice of genre entertainment delivers no-frills eco-thrills

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The Five Devils: a beguiling magical-realist coming-of-age story

By John Bleasdale

The Five Devils: a beguiling magical-realist coming-of-age story

Reviews

Bloody Oranges: monstrously funny French comedy

By John Bleasdale

Bloody Oranges: monstrously funny French comedy

Festivals

Call of God: a soporific psychosexual drama

By John Bleasdale

Call of God: a soporific psychosexual drama

Reviews

The Kingdom Exodus: madly entertaining horror

By John Bleasdale

The Kingdom Exodus: madly entertaining horror

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No Bears: a reflexive, tragicomic study of boundaries blurred

By John Bleasdale

No Bears: a reflexive, tragicomic study of boundaries blurred

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The Lord of the Ants: one of the straightest gay films around

By John Bleasdale

The Lord of the Ants: one of the straightest gay films around

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Dead for a Dollar: an apt title for a lifeless low-budget western

By John Bleasdale

Dead for a Dollar: an apt title for a lifeless low-budget western

Reviews

Athena: Delacroix for the Snapchat age

By John Bleasdale

Athena: Delacroix for the Snapchat age

Festivals

Bardo: fatuous chronicle of a handful of truths

By John Bleasdale

Bardo: fatuous chronicle of a handful of truths