Film Reviews by Adam Ray Palmer
I’m back in the Syston Town News after nearly six months! I thought I’d return to share with you three films that simply deserve your attention. Two debuted at the Glasgow Film Festival and the other at the 71st Berlinale in March.
If you stream movies, get on these three…
MINARI
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Minari was a Glasgow festival favourite of mine by writer and director Lee Isaac Chung. His memoir movie stars the brilliant Oscar-nominated Steven Yeun, Alan Kim and Han Ye-ri. Minari follows a Korean American family who decide to move to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. With fresh countryside challenges in a new life at the mercy of nature, the family discover by hook or by crook that their indisputable resilience as a unit undeniably makes their family stronger and their farm even more of a home.
Named one of the ten best films of 2020 by the American Film Institute; Minari is very easy to fall in love with. The two-hour poignant movie is anchored by subtle yet remarkable performances from an ensemble cast. Minari is an excellent addition to the family drama genre. It’s an unassuming film built on a sweet and melancholy look at the immigrant experience. Lee Isaac Chung’s memoir is worthy of its awards recognition.
Out now on Amazon Prime
PETITE MAMAN
Shortly after the Glasgow Film Festival, I covered the Berlinale edition and this little 70-minute beauty, Céline Sciamma’s fifth film Petite Maman. The movie follows an eight-year-old girl named Nelly who has just lost her beloved grandmother. She helps her mother and father in cleaning out her mother’s childhood home. She begins to explore the house and the neighbouring woodland where her mum, Marion, once played and built a treehouse that Nelly has heard so much about.
Céline Sciamma’s movie is one of delicate maturity. It’s fragile and innocent following the narrative through an eight-year-old’s eyes. The framing and stylish cinematography by Claire Mathon is beautifully welcoming, capping off a gorgeously made picture. It’s one of those films that you know exactly how this narrative will end, but you simply do not mind. You are on a journey with Nelly and the captivatingly, slow-paced storytelling is satisfyingly delivered.
Released on Mubi later this year
CREATION STORIES
Back to Glasgow now with a raucous film that perked up my cold, late, Tuesday afternoon. Nick Moran’s Creation Stories tells the unforgettable tale of infamous Creation Records label head Alan McGee; and of how one written-off young Glaswegian upstart rose to irrevocably change the face of British culture.
The story is built on present day interviews, flashbacks of a youthful Alan McGee and drug trips that showcase his creative, LSD-fuelled mind. It’s intelligently put together to get nearly four decades of a life into a two-hour movie, with it rarely feeling like it misses a beat. Creation Stories is wild, boisterous and amazingly; it’s like Rocketman on steroids. Seek it out.
Out now on Now TV & Sky Cinema
What’s coming up with Cineroom?
There are more festivals on the way, and new movies coming to a streaming site near you. Plus, once the cinemas re-open, the movie-train can roll on. In the meantime, remember to follow Cineroom on Facebook and Twitter and I’ll see you around soon!