Charles Williams
Postdoctoral bioscientist by day, media journalist also by day. Clocking off at 5. Basque-based Brit.
Charles Williams is a researcher in San Sebastián, Spain. Consumption of popular media and food are two major hobbies, leading to review writing as a further pastime.
His film tastes are varied, from the auteur to the asinine. He’ll go to bat for Sleepless In Seattle and Hook.
Other posts by Charles Williams
Suro
This rural story of an ill-advised return to nature and Catalan homesteading is invigorated the exploration of zeitgeist-relevant themes - from the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
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The Generation of Evil (Piktuju Karta)
Lithuanian thriller about deeply flawed police commissioner is fun, pacy and unexpectedly pleasant to watch - from the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
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Titane
Julia Ducournau weld herself into pole position of her own grimy body horror genre, with yet another arthouse, stomach-churning masterpiece - Cannes's big winner is out now on all major platforms
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Our dirty questions to Peter Francis
The production designer of double-Oscar winner The Father shares the secrets of how to make a convincing and riveting single-location drama
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Surge
A man in London embarks on a reckless journey of self-discovery with manic, inexplicable fervour - low-budget, low-stakes thriller/drama is now also available on Netflix
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Some Kind of Heaven
Insider exploration of a gigantic Floridian retirement-complex-cum-city-state reinforces the adage that age is just a number - filthy genius doc is now also available on Netflix
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Black Bear
Puzzlebox drama about a filmmaker kicking the wounds from career issues leaves the viewer feeling disorientated and yet profoundly engaged - on VoD on Friday, April 23rd
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Minari
Melancholy study of a Korean immigrant family in the Reagan-era US is leavened by winsome performances and cinema’s cheekiest child - available on VoD (and finally also on Sky Cinema and NOW)
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The Dissident
Wide-ranging documentary contextualises the tragic last days of Jamal Khashoggi in light of Saudi history, geopolitics and the pernicious influence of social media - from the online version of the Glasgow Film Festival
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Rams
Warring sheep herder brothers is a concept with legs, let down by clichéd storytelling and lacklustre everything else - now also available on Mubi
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The Exception (Undtagelsen)
Four women work together in an NGO, in this Danish psychological thriller and interesting study of workplace bullying - on VoD on Friday, January 22nd
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Beginning (Dasatskisi)
Lushly textured, sensitive portrayal of a Georgian woman in crisis of faith and family snatches nearly every major prize in San Sebastian, and it's one of the dirtiest movies of the year - on VoD on Friday, January 29th
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County Lines
This grim, fictional portrayal of the very real grooming of wayward British children as drug mules is carried by strong central performances - view it for free in December with ArteKino 2024
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Looted
Effective and entertaining slice of life drama that shows how no opportunities and no recourse pushes UK youths to the brink - on Sky Cinema and NOW on Monday, July 12th
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The Burnt Orange Heresy
Psychological neo-noir set in the art world presents a terse, self-contained drama of ethical ambiguity - on Sky Cinema and NOW on Saturday, July 3rd
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Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Who better to skewer Trumpism than a similarly outdated reality star? Dirty movie is now on Amazon Prime
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African Apocalypse
British documentary shines a light on Europe’s colonial legacy through the lens of the novella Heart of Darkness - on BFI Player from Friday, October 30th
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The mastermind behind the shooting
The director of the ultra-violent Silver Lion winner New Order talks about dystopia, social movements, being apolitical, Mexican cinema, Fassbinder, Tarantino, Buñuel and more, just as his movie premieres in the UK
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Relic
With this small-scale Australian family debut, director Natalie Erika James stakes her claim amidst the other auteurs of contemporary horror - on Shudder on Tuesday, May 11th
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Our dirty questions to Šarūnas Bartas
The iconic Lithuanian filmmaker talks about his quiet and meditative war drama, and how his childhood and adolescent experiences and observations inspired him
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Any Crybabies Around? (Nakuko Wa Ineega)
A man attempts to reconnect with his daughter, in this all-Japanese tale of separation set against a very peculiar baby-scaring demon festivity - from San Sebastian
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Sportin’ Life
Self-congratulatory and bloated, Abel Ferrara's documentary about filmmaking meanders through a preponderance of themes and fails to cohere into anything substantial - from the San Sebastian Film Festival
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Falling
Viggo Mortensen's directorial debut portrays the declining health of a deeply dislikeable man and the associated, deep-seated family tensions - in cinemas on Friday, December 4th
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Wu Hai
A damning meditation on money-lending culture in the remote city of Wu Hai, nestled in the far-flung deserts of Inner Mongolia - from the San Sebastian Film Festival
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The Great Fellove (El Gran Fellove)
Learn and laugh along with this audiophile documentary directed by Matt Dillon, which scats through the history of Afro-Cuban Jazz and its peoples - from San Sebastian
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In the Dusk (Sutemose)
Deliberate pacing highlights quiet, charged moments of Lithuanian life under the shadow of Soviet years after the sun has set on the front lines of WW2 - Lithuanian drama premieres at San Sebastian
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Supernova
Tucci and Firth convince as a couple of advancing years coming to terms with a dementia diagnosis and the bleak event horizon that follows - on Sky Cinema and NOW on Saturday, January 22nd; also available on other platforms
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Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan
Shane McGowan gets the Julien Temple treatment with the help of a limelight grabbing Johnny Depp - in cinemas on Friday, December 4th; on VoD and DVD the following Monday
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Another Round (Druk)
Stylish, raucous, and quintessentially Scandinavian drama demonstrates the cost of maintaining your buzz past closing time - on VoD on Friday, September 24th
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Simple Passion (Passion Simple)
French drama eschews traditional male gaze cinema in favour of an intense, all-consuming affair shown from the perspective of an older mistress - out on VoD on Monday, May 31st
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The Father
An unflinching look at the reality of advanced dementia, this British movie starring Anthony Hopkins manages to capture both the confusion of the affected and the burden of those nearest to them - on Netflix on Sunday, July 17th; also available on other platforms
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Summer 85 (Été 85)
François Ozon captures the spirit of 1985 in a tale of a doomed young romance that outshines the summer sun - in cinemas Friday, October 23rd.
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Rifkin’s Festival
Chaotic marriages and infidelities clash with the idyllic setting of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, in Woody Allen's messy new creation - live from San Sebastián
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Hurt by Paradise
Written, directed and starred by Greta Bellamacina, this British indie illustrates the unlikely friendship between a poet and a babysitter against the backdrop of a London full of contrasts - in cinemas Friday, September 18th
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Bill & Ted Face the Music
Bill and Ted have grown up. So, too, have audience sensibilities. Is there still an appetite for their medium-brow escapades? On Sky Cinema and NOW on Friday, July 2nd
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Les Misérables
Impressive debut presents a snapshot into the world of Paris' marginalised immigrant communities and how those of foreign descent are only embraced when they’re scoring goals - on VoD on Monday, December 7th
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Tenet
Christopher Nolan delivers an intensely cinematic experience that pulls no punches and transcends the offerings of his contemporaries - now available on VoD
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A Rainy Day in New York
The latest Woody Allen flick is yet another love letter to the city that never sleeps, a schtick that is proving increasingly tired - on VoD on Friday, June 5th
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