I caught a screening of Jim Jarmusch's 2016 Paterson  recently, and was struck by my innate fear of what would unfold. While watching, I noticed a constant tension in myself, unconsciously wondering 'when is the horrible, dramatic thing going to happen? Will it be now? Now?' I had to make the mental effort to push those feelings aside, and tell myself, maybe nothing like that will happen at all (which was the case). There are so few films, or at least so few that I've exposed myself to, which don't have some moment of violence or extreme emotional distress for their characters, that seems inevitable it will happen, even in the most benign films. Perhaps it is Adam Driver, who although giving a wonderfully understated performance as a considerate, thoughtful and kind man, nonetheless carries the baggage of so many performances as troubled and angry characters. I don't think I can put my tension down to simply casting though. How curious that I've become con...

What a surprising delight Brigsby Bear was. This 2017 creation of SNL alum Kyle Mooney, while fitting neatly into the quirky/indy mold, pulls at the heart-strings in unexpected ways. Without spoiling too much, it centres around the character of James, who has spent his entire life locked away from the world with nothing but the cheesy TV show 'Brigsby Bear' to keep him company. When he eventually emerges into the real world, all he want's is to see the next episode of his beloved show, and if one doesn't exist, perhaps he'll have to make it himself. This emotion comes from the characters around him, working out how to relate to James as he tries to fit back into the real world. There are some great performances from the whole supporting cast, including Greg Kinnear and Mark Hamill (which will be overshadowed by his role in Star Wars episode 8 this year). Ultimately, the film is something of an ode to the creative drive, and will leave you feeling inspired to follow ...