TIFF 2021: Belfast is a touching, understated historical drama

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TIFF 2021: Belfast is a touching, understated historical drama

Kenneth Branagh directs a moving film about a working class Irish family impacted by the Troubles.

“Artemis Fowl” is slapdash, snoozy, and stuck in the early 2000s

The adaptation of the first in Eoin Colfer's series is alarmingly messy for a project that's been in the works for almost two decades.

Filmmaker of the Month

The Secrets Of Great Ladies: Mendes and the Theatricality of “Skyfall”

Sam Mendes powers his leading ladies to metatextual heights in his first Bond outing.

Unraveling pop-culture one thread at a time

The Spool is an irreverent, informative source for film and television coverage, focused on diverse, thoughtful opinions that seek out a greater understanding of the media we love.

Cats Review: A Little A Musical, As a Treat

Tom Hooper adapts the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical into a Cronenbergian hellscape of trippy man-cats and the barest sliver of story.

“All Is True” Review: Enjoyable, Slight Biopic Eschews Fact for Feeling

Kenneth Branagh furthers his adoration for William Shakespeare by directing and starring in this free-wheeling biopic of the Bard's final years.

Red Joan Review: A Spy Story Largely Free of Intrigue

Dame Judi Dench gives a commanding performance as always, but this time-hopping spy thriller suffers from tepid, made-for-BBC delivery.

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