Movies
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2 out of 5 stars.
Counter Histories: Rock Hill review – landmark segregation protest gets muddled documentary
2 out of 5 stars.Directorial tricks lessen the impact of this film assessing a key moment in the US civil rights struggle
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Hollywood Foreign Press Association apologises after Phil Berk emails article to members that calls Black Lives Matter a ‘racist hate group’ -
3 out of 5 stars.
Homeward review – Crimean Tatars on a heartbreaking odyssey
3 out of 5 stars.A father and son confront personal and historic agonies on the road to bury their loved one in the land from where their people were displaced -
‘Filming was banned at the station we shot at. So the cinematographer sat in a wheelchair, concealed the camera on his lap, and I pushed him around, following Natja cruising’ -
Actor’s collection, including The Empire Strikes Back script, will be sold on 4 May in his home city of Bristol
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3 out of 5 stars.
Red Moon Tide review – sea spirits haunt the Spanish coast
3 out of 5 stars.A fishing community becomes frozen in time by the disappearance of a local hero, in this unsettling and austerely poetic tale -
3 out of 5 stars.
Cielo review – love letter to the desert’s starry skies
3 out of 5 stars.Alison McAlpine’s documentary draws out tales from locals and astronomers to evoke the magic and mystery of Chile’s stargazing hotspot -
3 out of 5 stars.
Sofia review – Moroccan society through the eyes of an unwed mother
3 out of 5 stars.Meryem Benm’Barek’s smart debut lays bare the scandalous consequences for a Casablanca woman who finds herself single and pregnant -
3 out of 5 stars.
Cranston Academy: Monster Zone review – colourful if derivative Hogwartsian animation
3 out of 5 stars.Two students at the Cranston Academy unleash a portal of monsters in a busy family offering from Mexico’s Anima Estudios
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Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story review – disturbing scenes
3 out of 5 stars.
In focus
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It’s number one time, and it’s a picture from the beginning of the year that nothing else has quite eclipsed for wit, thrills and sheer watchability -
This year sees a democratic, diverse and lengthy list of titles. But distribution politics has left UK audiences to play catchup -
Norwegian director of low-budget pro-democracy film says China’s ban ‘is promoting us’ -
Viola Davis wins best female actor for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom while her co-star, the late Chadwick Boseman, wins best actor
What to watch
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Anthony Hopkins has been nominated for a Bafta and an Oscar for his role in The Father. But how does it compare with his performances as Hannibal Lecter, CS Lewis, Odin and an ageing Zorro?
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As the world awaits the monstrous thrills of the new blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong, the genre’s big-hitters slug it out for top place -
This year sees a democratic, diverse and lengthy list of titles. But distribution politics has left UK audiences to play catchup
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Ahead of the official Academy nominations, Observer film critics pick their own shortlists -
With the Oscar winner’s romcom Love, Weddings & Other Disasters out next month in the UK, we run through her greatest roles -
She blazed a trail as gangsters’ molls and slinky lounge acts, then returned from a career break to essay a variety of wicked witches, comic turns and grand dames. Next month she’ll be seen as a penniless heiress in acclaimed comedy French Exit. But which are her best roles?
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The arrest of Watch Docs festival director Hatsura-Yavorskaya is a reminder of how much culture matters in authoritarian states -
An immaculate set of choices this year were capped by best film for Nomadland and best British film for Promising Young Woman – with Anthony Hopkins’ honour the cherry on top -
Christopher Nolan’s film baffled audiences – all they wanted in this most bewildering of years was to see a giant ape and a dinosaur going at it for 15 rounds -
The director was a prolific and legendary figure, making films in a dizzying range of genres from crime to sci-fi, satire to jazz
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Namechecked in the Oscar-nominated Sound of Metal, frontman Nick Blinko explains how he negotiated serious mental health issues to make astounding visual art and music -
On his centenary, the veteran producer recalls adding punch to Coronation Street, bringing Brideshead to the screen and his ‘turbulent’ relationship with one of the acting world’s greats -
The singer, 53, tells Joanna Moorhead about Mardi Gras parades, When Harry Met Sally, feeling thankful each day and the females in his family
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The actor best known for his role in Lena Dunham’s series talks about his experimental new film Black Bear, lockdown comfort-viewing – and why his heart truly lies in theatre -
The actor grew up on film sets, rubbing shoulders with the biggest stars on earth. Now he’s stepping into his father John’s shoes again – to direct a film about grief, secrets and the Lockerbie bombing -
The US director – whose documentary Time is up for an Oscar – on why virtual ceremonies are like video games
Regulars
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5 out of 5 stars.
Mark Kermode's film of the week Sound of Metal review – Riz Ahmed excels as a drummer facing deafness
5 out of 5 stars.Riz Ahmed gives a career-best performance in an astonishing drama that’s rooted in reality and fully captioned for all -
This year’s online edition of the annual Italian film fest includes last year’s Berlinale best actor, a couple of Venice favourites – and only male directors -
Fans are calling for a new solo outing for Batfleck, but how will that mesh with the Robert Pattinson trilogy now in production? And what about Cyborg? -
Steve Rose on film From Russian YouTube to spinning on the spot: Hollywood’s tricks to playing drunk
Gone is the ‘do it for real’ approach – the stars of Mank and Another Round take a more sober approach to acting inebriated
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Paul Thomas Anderson’s tragic parable of society’s addiction to oil, fuelled by a zealous Daniel Day-Lewis, is a burning indictment of male aggression and an apocalyptic warning -
The director explains why he won’t quibble with his film being named best of the century – but what makes it really great is Daniel Day-Lewis -
Gangsters, superheroes, schoolkids, lovers, slaves, peasants, techies, Tenenbaums and freefalling astronauts – they’re all here in our countdown of cinema’s best movies since 2000 -
From Mike Leigh to Richard Linklater, Joanna Hogg and Michael Winterbottom, here are some of the century’s greatest films, chosen by some of the directors whose own films feature in our top 100
You may have missed
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Gunda was shortlisted for the Oscars but would never have made the final cut. An outfit like the Academy Awards can’t recognise the brilliance of this film -
Referred to as ‘the greatest artist you’ve never heard of’, Bill Traylor’s compelling life is put under the spotlight in a new documentary -
The actor and comedian discusses his early days in musical theatre, his love of U2 and his passion for fly fishing
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New Netflix drama Stowaway is the latest in a crop of movies that suggests space travel is more random death and boredom than warp speed nine -
The Guardian’s Sarah Lee goes behind the scenes at this year’s reduced ceremony, which had limited press, no nominees – and no audience -
From cowboys to ‘van-dwellers’, itinerant Americans are often portrayed as heroic lone wolves. Chloé Zhao’s film shows that the truth is more complicated and less glamorous
Film genres
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The latest in our series of writers sticking up for reviled films is a defense of the ‘toyetic’ action fantasy flop that puts monsters in … trucks -
3 out of 5 stars.
Animation Cranston Academy: Monster Zone review – colourful if derivative Hogwartsian animation
3 out of 5 stars.Two students at the Cranston Academy unleash a portal of monsters in a busy family offering from Mexico’s Anima Estudios
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3 out of 5 stars.
Crime Ride or Die review – bloody revenge and blossoming love in shocking Japanese thriller
3 out of 5 stars.A young woman hits the road with the killer of her abusive husband in Ryūichi Hiroki’s adaptation of cult manga series -
3 out of 5 stars.
Drama Homeward review – Crimean Tatars on a heartbreaking odyssey
3 out of 5 stars.A father and son confront personal and historic agonies on the road to bury their loved one in the land from where their people were displaced
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