Fantasia Festival Review: The Oak Room
There’s no way of actually knowing how far Storytelling dates back through human history, but it’s a fair bet that ever since homo-sapiens could speak that oral traditions have existed. Predating writing, it’s the way families, communities and societies has imparted knowledge between generations down through ages. It remains, to this day, the main way …
Film Review: She Dies Tomorrow
It doesn’t take much to trigger an existential crisis for some people. The mere hint of a problem or potential issue can cause them to spiral out of control or descend into a fug. If you’re naturally anxious or worried, this year probably isn’t the best year for you. We seem to be in an …
Fantasia Festival Review: The Prophet and the Space Aliens
There are thousands upon thousands of religions out there in the world. So many, in fact, that no one can really keep track of them. Many are suspiciously similar and feel like variations on a theme rather than independent belief systems. Whilst others might sound more outlandish, we’ve become accustomed to accepting the (rather unlikely) …
Blu-Ray Review: Taste of Cherry
They say cinema flourishes in adversity and nowhere is that more apparent than in Iran. Since the revolution in 1979, the now Islamic republic has produced some of the best cinema in the world. It’s a remarkable accomplishment under often severe restrictions. Arguably the greatest director of this era was the late Abbas Kiarostami. Whilst …
Fantasia Festival Review: The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw
Over the centuries, men have found myriad ingenious ways to control and oppress women. Look at almost every major world religion and look at the gender roles and requirements placed on each sex. One of man’s greatest ignominies is the accusation of witchcraft. A cunning and clever way to persecute any female who rejects them …
Fantasia Festival Review: Chasing Dream
Anyone who is a fan of Hong Kong action films will be aware of the work of Johnnie To. He has made a host of brilliant films. The likes of PTU, Election, Running on Karma, Running out of Time, Exiled and Triangle made a big impression, both in domestic and international markets. He’s a prolific …
Fantasia Festival Review: I WeirDo
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition which compels the sufferer to have recurring thoughts and perform repetitive behaviours which they cannot control. In its mildest form, it can be no more than an annoyance or irritation. At the more extreme end, it can basically take over your life. The condition can be …
Fantasia Festival Review: Class Action Park
Anyone who grew up in a small community in the UK probably has fond and rather terrifying memories of a travelling fair coming to town. The excitement of the rides was often heightened by the lack of safety features or the tendency for doors to randomly come open. Our local ‘egg cages’ were legendary for …
Fantasia Festival Review: Monster Seafood Wars
The Japanese love their Kaiju or (giant) monster movies. We’re not talking about an overgrown croc or a man-size rat here. We’re talking about Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera et al, rampaging around a major city and often fighting each other to the death. There’s a whole sub-genre of Japanese culture dedicated to these mammoth beasts and …
Fantasia Festival Review – Dinner in America
There’s nothing American independent cinema seems to like more than oddballs. Those characters who sit somewhere outside of the norm but usually find themselves thrust into extremely ordinary situations for comedic effect. Sometimes, even romance can bloom. We’re primed to root for the outsider. Life’s underdogs. The people suffering daily degradations and heartache simply for …