Deborah Ross

Both compelling and repulsive: The Whale reviewed

4 February 2023 9:00 am

I can’t work out if Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, which stars Brendan Fraser as a man weighing 600lb – that’s…

Cheesy but full of love: The Fabelmans reviewed

28 January 2023 9:00 am

There can’t be anyone anywhere who hasn’t somehow been touched by a Steven Spielberg film. Some of us, for example,…

Formulaic and untrue: Bank of Dave reviewed

18 January 2023 10:00 pm

Bank of Dave is the ‘true(ish)’ story, as this puts it, of Dave Fishwick, the Burnley businessman who wanted to…

Riveting: Tár reviewed

14 January 2023 9:00 am

Todd Field’s Tár stars an insanely glorious Cate Blanchett – if she doesn’t win an Oscar I’ll eat my hat…

I beg Sam Mendes to stop writing his own scripts: Empire of Light reviewed

7 January 2023 9:00 am

Sam Mendes’s Empire of Light, which he wrote as well as directed, is billed as a ‘love letter to cinema’…

Mesmerisingly sad: Corsage reviewed

17 December 2022 9:00 am

Corsage is a biopic of Empress Elisabeth of Austria who was prized for her beauty and fashion sense and may…

Quiet yet beautiful – and there’s plenty of sex: Lady Chatterley’s Lover reviewed

3 December 2022 9:00 am

If you’re of my generation, I expect your first encounter with D.H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was the (well-thumbed) book…

I soaked my jumper with tears: The Last Flight Home reviewed

26 November 2022 9:00 am

If you’re planning on seeing The Last Flight Home at the cinema, don’t make any plans for afterwards as you’ll…

Ralph Fiennes at his most terrifying: The Menu reviewed

19 November 2022 9:00 am

The Menu is a comedy-horror-thriller set in an exclusive restaurant on a private island and it gives the rich a…

Astonishing cinema: No Bears reviewed

12 November 2022 9:00 am

Jafar Panahi’s No Bears is, first and foremost, a wonderful film. More than this, you don’t need to know but…

Heartbreakingly tender: Living reviewed

5 November 2022 9:00 am

Living is a remake of one of the great existential masterpieces of the 20th century, Kurosawa’s Ikiru (1952), which didn’t…

Pure scorn without wit or insight: Triangle of Sadness reviewed

29 October 2022 9:00 am

The latest film from Ruben Ostlund received an eight-minute standing ovation after its screening in Cannes and also won the…

Harry Styles's behind is the only draw: My Policeman reviewed

22 October 2022 9:00 am

My Policemanis a forbidden love drama starring both Harry Styles – whose bid for movie stardom continues apace – and…

Ravishing, daring biopic of Emily Brontë: Emily reviewed

15 October 2022 9:00 am

The life of Emily Brontë is an enduring object of fascination. So small, the life, so sparse, so limited. Yet…

Unforgettable story, forgettable film: The Lost King reviewed

8 October 2022 9:00 am

The Lost King is a comedy-drama based on the 2012 discovery of the remains of King Richard III beneath a…

Pleasantly untaxing: Mrs Harris Goes to Paris reviewed

1 October 2022 9:00 am

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is a comedy-drama based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico about a cheerful, kind-hearted…

I'm too tired for Lena Dunham: Catherine Called Birdy reviewed

24 September 2022 9:00 am

Catherine Called Birdy is written and directed by Lena Dunham and it’s a medieval comedy about a 14-year-old girl resisting…

A David Bowie doc like no other: Moonage Daydream reviewed

17 September 2022 9:00 am

Moonage Daydream is a music documentary like no other, which is fitting as the subject is David Bowie. If it’s…

Gore-fest meets snooze-fest: Crimes of the Future reviewed

10 September 2022 9:00 am

You always have to brace yourself for the latest David Cronenberg film, but with Crimes of the Future it’s not…

A compelling, if pitiless, journey: The Forgiven reviewed

3 September 2022 9:00 am

The Forgiven is based on the novel by Lawrence Osborne and stars Ralph Fiennes (terrific) and Jessica Chastain (ditto) as…

Schlocky and silly but fun: Beast reviewed

27 August 2022 9:00 am

Beast is, the blurb tells us, a ‘pulse-pounding thriller about a father and his daughters who find themselves hunted by…

Absolutely nuts: My Old School reviewed

20 August 2022 9:00 am

My Old School is a documentary exploring a true story that would have to be true as it’s too preposterous…

If you’re going to make it up, please make it up better: Eiffel reviewed

13 August 2022 9:00 am

Eiffel is a romantic drama purporting to show how a passionate but forbidden love inspired Gustave Eiffel to design and…

This lot should be sent to prison too: Where the Crawdads Sing reviewed

23 July 2022 9:00 am

Where the Crawdads Sing is based on the bestselling book (by Delia Owens) that I picked up from one of…

Everyone involved should be in prison: Netflix's Persuasion reviewed

16 July 2022 9:00 am

You may already have read early reviews of Netflix’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion saying it’s ‘the worst adaptation ever’…