Film Reviews

Tyrannosaur (18) *****Drenched in rage and with a hint of redemption in its final reel, this is not a film to be easily forgotten.

Based on Paddy Considine’s 2007 short drama Dog Altogether, Tyrannosaur demands an iron constitution as it veers between violence and tenderness, courtesy of its central odd couple played by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman. Mullan (reprising his role from the earlier short) is Joseph, a twitchy, two-fisted, fiftysomething widower with a hair-trigger temper. Colman is Hannah, whose service behind the counter in a charity shop masks her domestic unhappiness.

To say more is to undermine what is surely the most important indie of the year. This is an uncompromising look at violence and its various effects. It is bold, brutal and brilliant – a testament to actor-turned-writer/director Considine who never flinches from his subject and who presents a terrible glimpse into the abyss.

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Mullan has been seen before as a man of anger and self-destruction. When he collides with Colman – a comic actress giving a revelatory performance as a woman of faith whose belief is tested – the scene is set for a confrontation.

Mullan gives a performance of incredible power. A sequence where Joseph reduces Hannah to tears of anger and self-loathing is immensely disturbing; a later scene in which Hannah again dissolves into wracking sobs as Joseph bears witness will surely place her among the front-runners come awards time. Tyrannosaur is a magnificent British movie. It has the courage to tackle unpalatable themes head-on and in Considine presents a major new filmmaking talent.Unmissable.

Page One: Inside the New York Times (15)****

NYT journalist David Carr speaks for many when he describes Twitter as “a cacophony of short-burst communications”. But he accepts the global reach of this 21st century concept. Like many in the traditional world of print journalism he is witnessing the slow death rattle of the old newspaper industry.

The New York Times is a bastion of great journalism. Given its history and status, many within the paper believe it shouldn’t fail and therefore cannot fail. But as Carr and his colleagues witness the collapse of several contemporaries in big cities across America they can only wonder when the downturn is going to affect the Big Apple’s premier journalistic outlet.

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Page One: Inside the New York Times is a portrait of a once-powerful machine in a much changed world. At times Andrew Rossi’s film seems to be on a death watch. Happily, it doesn’t turn out that way but for Carr and Co – and for several colleagues made redundant – it is a lesson in how to survive in the face of rapid progress. Key figures like Carl Bernstein (one half of the team that exposed the Watergate scandal) speak bluntly of the changing media landscape. Much more than a documentary about a fading institution, this is a glimpse into the mindset of modern investigative journalism and where the future may take it.

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