Oppenheimer (2023) Review – A Brilliant Mind, A Terrible Invention Most biopics follow a safe formula. A gifted person struggles, succeeds, suffers a setback, and leaves the audience with a neat lesson. Oppenheimer refuses that comfort. Christopher Nolan’s three-hour portrait…
Joyland (2022) Review – A Quiet, Daring Landmark from Lahore Pakistani cinema rarely gets to speak to the world in its own voice, on its own terms, without first being translated into a headline about controversy. Joyland managed something harder.…
Amélie (2001) Review – A Little Film About Kindness That Took Over the World Some films you watch. Amélie you fall into. Released in France on 25 April 2001 under its full title Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain — the…
The King’s Speech (2010) Review – A Quiet Film About Finding a Voice On paper, The King’s Speech sounds like the driest film imaginable: a prince with a stammer takes elocution lessons in 1930s London. In practice, Tom Hooper’s drama…
Andhadhun (2018) Review – The Pianist Who Saw Too Much There is a particular pleasure in watching a thriller that trusts you. It shows you something, lets you draw the obvious conclusion, and then quietly reveals that your conclusion was…
Interstellar (2014) Review – A Heartfelt Journey Beyond the Stars Some science fiction films impress you with ideas. Interstellar tries to do that and break your heart at the same time. Released in 2014, Christopher Nolan’s space epic arrived with…
Waar (2013) Review – The Action Thriller That Restarted Pakistani Cinema To understand Waar, you have to remember what Pakistani cinema looked like in 2013. The industry was on life support: a handful of releases a year, ageing infrastructure, and…
Spirited Away (2001) Review – The Animated Wonder That Still Feels Like a Dream There are animated films you admire, and then there is Spirited Away. More than two decades after it first appeared in Japanese cinemas on 20 July…
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Review – Swords, Secrets, and Love That Arrives Too Late There are action films, and then there is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Premiering at Cannes on 18 May 2000 and reaching audiences across Asia that…
3 Idiots (2009) Review – All Is Well, and Mostly True Few Hindi films have slipped into everyday language the way 3 Idiots has. Its central phrase — the little hand-on-heart reassurance that all is well — escaped the cinema…