IDFA Review: Bulletproof
March 2020 marked a major landmark. It was the first month since 2002 when there had not been a school shooting in the US. And it only took a global pandemic to achieve this feat. The situation in America is astonishing to those of us looking in from the outside. The fact that these murders …
IDFA Review: Acasă, My Home
During the reign of Nicolae Ceaușescu in Romania he had a grand plan. This was to turn acres of swampy land on the outskirts of Bucharest into a reservoir. Whilst the end of communism prevented this venture coming to fruition it didn’t stop biodiversity flourishing. In 2014, after years of neglect which resulted in parts …
IDFA Review: The Grocer’s Son, the Mayor, the Village and the World…
One of the functions of documentary filmmaking is to allow an audience the opportunity to peek into someone else’s life. To afford the viewer an insight into a world they have little or no knowledge of or which is completely alien to them. Claire Simon has spent her career shining the light on the lives …
Film Review: Concrete Plans
Britain today, as a society, has come a long way in a relatively short time. Whilst the gap between the rich and the poor continues to grow, the class system is gradually eroding. However, whilst being born into the landed gentry will still afford you privilege, that doesn’t necessarily equate to having money; even if …
IDFA Review: The Earth is Blue as an Orange
In the aftermath of pro-European Union demonstrations which resulted in the Ukrainian Revolution of 2014 and the ousting of the government, there has been continued tensions on the eastern border. Fighting broke out with Russian-backed anti-government separatists in the Donbass (Donetsk and Luhansk regions). This conflict still rages today with the Kremlin looking to flex …
Tallinn Black Nights Review: My Favourite War
Whilst so much has been said, written and shot about World War II, most of it has largely concentrated on the Western Front and the Pacific theatre. This is largely due to who is speaking, writing and filming and where their audience resides. Unless you’re from that arena, the conflict on the Eastern front is …
Blu-Ray Review: Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Like many people reading this review, I’ve had a love affair with cinema for most of my life. It’s never been just about the films, it’s the whole experience. From arriving in the foyer, to entering the screen. The ads (sadly). The trailers. The whole kit and kaboodle. There’s nothing quite like it. It’s a …
IDFA Review: Nothing but the Sun
One of the consequences of conquest is the impact this invasion has on the indigenous populations, who, in most cases, had been living happily on their land for countless generations. Whilst the white man was more than happy to kill for what they wanted; Europeans were often equally as deadly when trying to help. Diseases …
Tallinn Black Nights Review: Fugitive Dreams
There’s something distinctly American about the road movie. Whether that stems from the likes of Jack Kerouac heading out On the Road or the tradition of freighthopping which has taken generations of Americans far and wide across the country; in search of jobs, a new home or simply temporary shelter. More than just a means …
Film Review – Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on the Exorcist
Whilst there have been many iconic films over the history of genre cinema, few have had such an impact and lasting appeal as The Exorcist. Whether that’s through the number of scenes which have become entrenched in popular culture or the whole controversy it generated upon release. Whilst Mark Kermode’s favourite film is now almost …