RICHARD’S BLOG

Category: Uncategorized

  • REVIEW: The Secret Agent ★★★★★

    The Secret Agent is a 2025 Brazilian political drama, written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. For the avoidance of doubt, it is nothing to do with Joseph Conrad’s novel of the same name. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and was released in the UK last Friday, 20…

  • REVIEW: The Chronology of Water ★★★★☆

    The Chronology of Water is a 2025 biographical psychological drama, directed by Kristen Stewart (her directorial feature debut), based on the 2011 memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch. Sources seem to vary as to whether the screenplay was wholly written by Stewart or co-written with Yuknavitch’s ex-husband Andy Mingo. It had its world…

  • REVIEW: Saipan              ★★★☆☆

    Saipan is a 2025 Irish fact-based sports drama, directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, from a screenplay by Paul Fraser. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, was released in Ireland on Boxing Day, and in the UK on Friday 23 January. The film is about the…

  • REVIEW: Nouvelle Vague ★★★★☆

    Nouvelle Vague is a 2025 comedy drama, directed by Richard Linklater, from a screenplay by Holly Gent and Vincent Palmo. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was released in the UK today, Friday 30 January. The film is something of a celebration of, perhaps even a love letter…

  • REVIEW: No Other Choice ★★★★☆

    No Other Choice is a 2025 South Korean satirical black comedy thriller, co-written and directed by Park Chan-wook, based on the 1997 American novel The Ax by Donald Westlake. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August and was released in the UK today, Friday 23 January. Yoo Man-su (Lee…

  • My ‘Top 3 and a Bit’ Films about Football

    It has been quite some time since my last Top 3 and a bit post, so I felt a new instalment was long overdue. Next Friday, Saipan gets its UK release. It is a film about the notorious ‘Saipan incident’, which led to Irish manager Mick McCarthy sending bad-boy Roy Keane home from the 2002…

  • REVIEW: Rental Family ★★★★★

    Rental Family is a 2025 comedy-drama film directed by Hikari, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut. It had its world premiere in September at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, was shown at the London Film Festival in October (where I first saw it), and went on general release in the UK today, 16…

  • REVIEW: Hamnet   ★★☆☆☆

    Hamnet is a 2025 British/American historical-fiction film, directed by Chloé Zhao, who co-wrote the screenplay with Maggie O’Farrell, based on O’Farrell’s novel of the same name. It had its world premiere in August at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival, which is in Colorado, apparently, and was released in the UK yesterday, 9 January. I feel I…

  • REVIEW: Marty Supreme ★★★☆☆

    Marty Supreme is a 2025 American comedy drama film, directed by Josh Safdie from a screenplay by Ronald Bronstein. It had its world premiere at the 2025 New York Film Festival in October and was released in the UK on Boxing Day. The film, set in 1952, tells the story of around nine months in the life…

  • REVIEW: Sentimental Value ★★★★☆

    Sentimental Value is a 2025 Norwegian drama film, directed by Joachim Trier, who co-wrote the script with Eskil Vogt. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May (where it won the prestigious Grand Prix) and was released in the UK on Boxing Day. The film centres on the difficult relationship between…