Tag Archives: Steve McQueen

An interview with Abi Morgan, screenwriter of Shame

April 4, 2026 flawintheiris

By my measure, I haven't had nearly enough opportunity to interview screenwriters in my 20+ years as an arts reporter, but the few whose paths I've been fortunate to cross have been fascinating — check out my recent post on John Sayles. The Emmy-winning Abi Morgan has had a diverse and interesting career in the… Read More

Occupied City and Blitz reviews — Steve McQueen’s Second World War stories

November 12, 2024 flawintheiris

Small Axe review — Steve McQueen’s potent portrait of immigrant culture in London

January 5, 2021 flawintheiris

In 2020, the line between film and TV has been smudged by the ubiquity of streaming. There's probably no better example of the blur right now than Small Axe, an anthology series directed and co-written by filmmaker and visual artist Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame, 12 Years A Slave, Widows) that originally aired through November and… Read More

Top 15 Films of 2020

January 4, 2021 flawintheiris

Every year I assemble a list of the 10 best feature films (and sometimes documentaries) I saw in the past 12 months, and with it an accompanying collection of 10 "Under-The-Radar" pictures — the more peculiar, less mainstream, hidden gems worth seeking out. I figure that list could be more useful to a cinephile looking… Read More

Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood review — Tarantino delivers a sprawling nostalgia-fest

July 28, 2019 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino | 161 min | Netflix We all know Quentin Tarantino loves movies, and that he makes movies about movies. With his ninth feature, he's also telling us he loves television, and the cheesier American pop culture of the 1960s. In this long, languid production, probably best described as a… Read More

Widows review — McQueen’s art house crime drama thrills and spills

November 16, 2018 flawintheiris

Directed by Steve McQueen | Written by McQueen and Gillian Flynn, from a book by Lynda La Plante | 129 min | Netflix We're in good hands from the start. In the opening scenes the film jumps between the bedroom intimacies of couple Veronica and Harry Rawlings (Viola Davis and Liam Neeson) and Harry's life… Read More

Reviews: Imperium, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, The Birth Of A Nation (2016)

November 7, 2016 flawintheiris

Imperium Directed by Daniel Ragussis | Written by Ragussis and Michael German | 109 min | On iTunes and Blu-Ray Nate Foster (Daniel Radcliffe) is an FBI agent—young, bright, and bushy-tailed—who goes from nerdy analyst to hardcore undercover agent working under tough-as-nails supervisor Angela (Toni Collette). His job is to infiltrate a radical cell of… Read More

Top 10 Movies of 2013

January 3, 2014 flawintheiris

I measure the best movies of any year by a visceral reaction: When I walk out of the cinema (or away from my home screen, as the case may be) how much do I want to see it a second time, and how soon? Rewatchability is important. With that in mind, please find below a… Read More

12 Years A Slave review

November 11, 2013 flawintheiris

Directed by Steve McQueen Written by John Ridley, adapting a book by Solomon Northup 12 Years A Slave is the most honest and unvarnished depiction of slavery I've ever seen. I'd wager it reaches a verisimilitude unmatched in the history of Hollywood movies on the subject—of which there haven't been that many, granted. It's hard to… Read More

Top 10 Movies of 2009

August 31, 2012 flawintheiris

Today is the anniversary of FITI. Two years of my relentless spew. Thanks for checking it out.Continuing on the Words About Movies Before This Blog Started theme—The Top 10 of 2007 and 2008 were posted earlier this week—here's my picks for 2009. (Please excuse my CAPS, that's when 2012 me had to have his say.)… Read More