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Stephen Mayne

Recent

Reviews

'Ben-Hur': Once More Around the Circus Maximus

This Ben-Hur remake wants to teach against the rift that drives Ben-Hur and Messala to extreme lengths while still glorying in bloody revenge.

Reviews

'Night Train to Munich' Is a Journey Worth Taking

More than just a rerun of The Lady Vanishes, Night Train to Munich overcomes wobbly moments by being so persistently fun.

Film

TIFF 2016: 'LBJ', 'Message from the King' and 'Blue Jay'

Of Presidents and high-school lovers: TIFF 2016 ends with misunderstood leaders, missing family, and missing the past.

Film

TIFF 2016: 'Deepwater Horizon', 'Moonlight', 'Carrie Pilby' and 'The Magnificent Seven'

Kids in America: Day 7 at TIFF stays firmly in the land of the brave for two very different coming-of-age stories, an oil disaster and plenty of shooting.

Film

TIFF 2016: 'The Ornithologist' and 'Goldstone'

Escaping the city: Day 6 wandered off towards trials and tribulations in Portuguese forests and the Australian outback

Film

TIFF 2016: 'Denial', 'La La Land' and 'Jackie'

Best Picture and Best Actress nominees? Day 5 dipped into 20th century history for Holocaust deniers, musicals and a famous First Lady.

Film

TIFF 2016: 'Sami Blood', 'Planetarium', and '(re)Assignment'

Pushing the limits: Toronto International Film Festival 2016 brings persecution, psychics and dubious action concepts to audiences.

Film

TIFF 2016: 'A Monster Calls', 'The Secret Scripture' and 'The Limehouse Golem'

From Liam Neeson to Catholic Priests and Victorian murderers, Toronto International Film Festival 2016 just can't shake that monster feeling.

Film

TIFF 2016: Colossal, Pyromaniac, Nocturnal Animals, Arrival, American Pastoral, Trespass Against Us

Monster mayhem, aliens, Philip Roth and dysfunctional families -- it's all in a day at Toronto International Film Festival 2016.

Film

TIFF 2016: 'Manchester by the Sea' and 'Neruda'

Misery and Poets: the first day of TIFF sees a brilliant return for Kenneth Lonergan and meta-fictional madness from Chile.

Reviews

'Night and Fog' Continues to Haunt

Alain Resnais' documentary remains a landmark depiction of the Holocaust, having lost none of its power six decades on.

Reviews

'Everybody Wants Some!!' Is a Crash Course of Self-discovery and Independence

Richard Linklater's spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused hits the '80s with a little education and a lot of partying: self-discovery lies somewhere between.

Reviews

'Whiskey Tango Foxtrot' Is a Very Western Guide to Afghanistan

Out on Blu-Ray, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot brings a few laughs and some mixed messages.

Politics

In the Aftermath of the Brexit Vote: Staring Into the Void

Manufacturers of the ubiquitous ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ t-shirts can at least look to a rosy future, as that slogan is about as near to a plan as anyone has yet mustered.

Reviews

'The Martian' on Blu-ray: An at-Home Lesson in DIY Space Survival

The Martian puts the fun into being stranded hundreds of million miles from home.

Reviews

Recent History Reduced to '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi'

13 Hours takes a politically fraught event and turns it into another Michael Bay shoot-out

Travel

An Englishman in the American South

Five Southern states in 11 days: scattered views from the old world.

Film

The Sins of the Fathers' in 'The Club'

Pablo Larraín's excoriating attack on the Catholic Church is hard viewing that pulls no punches.

Film

'Barcelona' Sends Whit Stillman's Usual Suspects After Love in a Hot Climate

The middle section in Whit Stillman's loose '90s trilogy showcases all his trademarks while moving his characters from college into the wider world.

Film

Romance With a Stiff Upper Lip in 'Brief Encounter'

More than 60 years on, Brief Encounter, pitting love against conventions, continues to break hearts.

Reviews

'Paris Belongs to Us' Sets the Blueprint for Things to Come

Jacques Rivette's engaging debut sees the New Wave master experimenting with the ingredients he perfected in later films.

Film

'The Graduate' Still Seduces

As energetic as it ever was, sharp jokes and even sharper edges aren't lost in the transition from hit film to cultural touchstone.

Film

'I Knew Her Well' Explores '60s Celebrity Culture

I Knew Her Well dances through Rome until the music stops for one young hopeful.

Features

MetalMatters: The Best New Heavy Metal Albums of January 2021

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MetalMatters: The Best New Heavy Metal Albums of January 2021

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This Ben-Hur remake wants to teach against the rift that drives Ben-Hur and Messala to extreme lengths while still glorying in bloody revenge.

At first, I didn’t have a clue what was going on at this Celtics game. By the end, I still didn’t have much more of a clue -- but I was hooked, anyway.

More than just a rerun of The Lady Vanishes, Night Train to Munich overcomes wobbly moments by being so persistently fun.

Of Presidents and high-school lovers: TIFF 2016 ends with misunderstood leaders, missing family, and missing the past.

Kids in America: Day 7 at TIFF stays firmly in the land of the brave for two very different coming-of-age stories, an oil disaster and plenty of shooting.

Escaping the city: Day 6 wandered off towards trials and tribulations in Portuguese forests and the Australian outback

Best Picture and Best Actress nominees? Day 5 dipped into 20th century history for Holocaust deniers, musicals and a famous First Lady.

Pushing the limits: Toronto International Film Festival 2016 brings persecution, psychics and dubious action concepts to audiences.

From Liam Neeson to Catholic Priests and Victorian murderers, Toronto International Film Festival 2016 just can't shake that monster feeling.

Monster mayhem, aliens, Philip Roth and dysfunctional families -- it's all in a day at Toronto International Film Festival 2016.

Misery and Poets: the first day of TIFF sees a brilliant return for Kenneth Lonergan and meta-fictional madness from Chile.

Alain Resnais' documentary remains a landmark depiction of the Holocaust, having lost none of its power six decades on.

Richard Linklater's spiritual sequel to Dazed and Confused hits the '80s with a little education and a lot of partying: self-discovery lies somewhere between.

Out on Blu-Ray, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot brings a few laughs and some mixed messages.

Manufacturers of the ubiquitous ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ t-shirts can at least look to a rosy future, as that slogan is about as near to a plan as anyone has yet mustered.

The Martian puts the fun into being stranded hundreds of million miles from home.

13 Hours takes a politically fraught event and turns it into another Michael Bay shoot-out

Five Southern states in 11 days: scattered views from the old world.

Pablo Larraín's excoriating attack on the Catholic Church is hard viewing that pulls no punches.

The middle section in Whit Stillman's loose '90s trilogy showcases all his trademarks while moving his characters from college into the wider world.

More than 60 years on, Brief Encounter, pitting love against conventions, continues to break hearts.

Jacques Rivette's engaging debut sees the New Wave master experimenting with the ingredients he perfected in later films.

As energetic as it ever was, sharp jokes and even sharper edges aren't lost in the transition from hit film to cultural touchstone.

I Knew Her Well dances through Rome until the music stops for one young hopeful.