John Patterson on film John Patterson riffs on the art and business of film-making
American Honey: the all-singing, all-dancing road trip movie of the year Fasten your seatbelts – Andrea Arnold’s first film in the US throws British reserve out of the window. Just don’t expect much of a plot
Captain Fantastic: the bloody family drama shows a new side to Viggo Mortensen Viggo Mortensen is on sparkling form as a caring if deluded father raising his family away from society’s influence
Spectre: just who is Christoph Waltz? As the 24th Bond film opens in cinemas, our critic has a hunch about the German actor’s role
From The Hobbit to The Hunger Games, the curse of the movie trilogy You can’t move for trilogies this festive season but the best things shouldn’t come in threes
The November Man and the rise of the geriaction movie Pierce Brosnan joins the long list of tough-talking action heroes – and heroines – who refuse to stop swinging in their 60s
The Judge: a likable, two-inch-deep legal potboiler Robert Downey Jr’s spectacular turnaround has been a joy to behold. But his new film doesn’t do him justice
Violette: ‘Anything unattainable, she wanted’ Writers rarely make for riveting movie protagonists, but this engrossing biopic of tortured French author Violette Leduc is different
Salvatore Giuliano: a gangster movie for grown-ups Francesco Rosi’s 1962 tale of a Sicilian bandit has its roots in postwar realism but remains as relevant today as TV’s Gomorrah
Down By Law: the monochrome mastery of Dutch cinematographer Robby Müller The beatnik bohos that lurk in Jim Jarmusch’s arch narratives were never framed in a more moody and exquisite light
Lucy: too much wham-bam and not enough ma'am A woman calling the shots in a kick-ass action flick should be cause to celebrate. But Luc Besson takes his uberfemme too far
Hal Ashby's The Landlord: the classic film evicted from cinema history John Patterson: Ashby was born fully formed as a film-maker with this debut, a wise and exact meditation on race relations in New York at the end of the 1960s
Bong Joon-Ho's tormented Mother has a lot in common with the film noir classic Mildred Pierce Movie mothers can be angels, saints, sirens, seductresses, psychopaths and monsters. But for John Patterson, there's only one that counts …
Italian horror made in England In the early 70s, directors of giallo, the Italian horror genre, made a few tentative trips to England, producing at least one classic, writes John Patterson
On film: A farewell to vengeance John Patterson With his new film, Clint Eastwood is finally disavowing the racism and vengefulness of Dirty Harry. You might even see this as an apology, says John Patterson
Why Gus van Sant's Milk is an important film John Patterson John Patterson: Gus van Sant's movie is perfectly timed: it offers a vision of hope alongside its stark warnings about the dangers of homophobia
Money-saving tips for Hollywood John Patterson If Hollywood wants to save some money, the solution is simple: replace all those overpaid actors with puppies, children and porn stars
On film: Playing politics John Patterson The election is full of bizarre moments where showbiz trumps the news, says John Patterson
On film: Doing their bit John Patterson All the really impressive heroes and heavies of postwar Hollywood had war experiences that indelibly burnished their screen presence, says John Patterson
Doom Revisited What does the re-emergence of Brideshead Revisited tell us about the state of the nation? John Patterson fears the worst
On film: The bust boom John Patterson The spirit of the last Depression hovers over us, and Michael Mann is ahead of the game in dredging its history and imagery for insights, says John Patterson
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