My Favourite Films of 2023

There are two sections: New in 2023 (new releases, festival films, etc) Older films discovered for the first time Films are listed alphabetically within each section. 1. New in 2023 (new releases, festival films, etc) 20 Days in Mariupol [Mstyslav Chernov, 2023, Ukraine] “20 Days in Mariupol” is one of the most painful films I …

My Favourite Films of 2022

There are two sections: New in 2022 (new releases, festival films, etc) Older films discovered for the first time Films are listed alphabetically within each section. 1. New in 2022 (new releases, festival films, etc) Aftersun [Charlotte Wells, 2022, UK, US] Incredibly impressive: subtle, atmospheric, immersive. One of the stand-out films of the year. A …

My Favourite Films of 2021

A hastily cobbled together list: partly because I'm later than usual (I usually get it out of the way on New Year's day), but also because it's a snapshot of changing opinions and if I wait more than a few days I'll need to update it. Better to just get it down and move on. …

My Favourite Films of 2020

In this strange and frightening year, the importance of art and the sharing of the experience of art has become even more significant. So, although my cinema viewing has plummeted, watching films however I can and meeting people virtually to talk about them, has been both nourishment for the mind and a way of maintaining …

My Favourite Films of 2019

Last year, I stupidly said, "Let’s hope that sense and kindness prevails in 2019." Oh boy!   This year I'll only say, "Let's hope we just make it through 2020".   Anyway, there were lots of films I missed in 2019, but here are my favourites from those I saw, ordered alphabetically within each rating: …

My Favourite Films of 2018

Last year I said "It's been a pretty awful year in politics, so I find looking back at my year in film a pleasant diversion." Well, politics this year has been far far worse. Let's hope that sense and kindness prevails in 2019. Thankfully, there were some great films in 2018. Here's my list of …

Interviews For Herts Jazz Film Festival 2018

For this year's Herts Jazz Festival I was able to bring back the Herts Jazz Film Festival. We only had space for two films, but they were rather special. My interviews with Gareth Williams (about accompanying a Buster Keaton masterpiece) and director Gary Barber (about his documentary on legendary tenor player Bobby Wellins) are reporduced …

Interview with Bill Morrison – Cambridge Film Festival – 26 October 2017

Mike O'Brien and Bill Morrison. Photo credit: Jean-Luc Benazet and Cambridge Film Festival This interview was first published in Take One. Dawson City: Frozen Time, the latest film from renowned American director Bill Morrison, is a complex, poetic, multi-stranded tale featuring the fortuitous discovery of buried nitrate film stock. The telling of this story reveals …

My Favourite Films of 2017

It's been a pretty awful year in politics, so I find looking back at my year in film is a pleasant diversion. The following is a list of my current 2017 favourites, but before I go through them, there are a few special film-related highlights to mention: In January I hosted a Q&A with producer …

Cambridge Film Festival 2017: Kékszakállú

Below is a slightly edited review of the one published in Take One, both in a festival print magazine  and online. An outdoor swimming pool and some children take turns to launch themselves from the diving board. One girl hesitates at the edge, frightened, uncertain. Cut. In Kékszakállú - the enthralling latest film from Argentinian …