Film Review: My Old School
While every child will have their own unique educational experiences, anyone attending school at a similar time and place will have encountered a number of commonalities. There is always a really strict, scary teacher and conversely one who is far too nice and easily manipulated. Every schoolyard has their bullies and the geeks. The quiet …
Blu-Ray Review: The Breaking Point
While Ernest Hemingway may have only published seven novels during his lifetime, his writing style had a profound influence on American literature. An author whose work was very much shaped by his experiences, themes such as love, travel and loss punctuated a lively creativity. His novels have been adapted for the big screen many times. …
Film Review: Emily the Criminal
America is perceived as the land of opportunity, but that’s only really true for certain people. 45 million Americans have student debt, with each graduate on average owing almost $40,000. That’s great for rich kids, not so much for those without wealthy parents. Having to start you career with a huge monthly outgoing is far …
Blu-Ray Review: Man Without a Star
After his big breakthrough in boxing drama Champion at the end of the 1940s, Kirk Douglas spent the next decade at the top of his game. One of the biggest film stars in the world and hot Hollywood property. By 1955, he had broken away from Warner Brother, establishing his own production company; Bryna Productions. …
Film Review: Fall
Most people, quite sensibly, are wary of heights. Many suffer from vertigo when peering down into the eternal abyss. Flying is another challenge. However, there are those who actively seek out daredevil challenges. Who laugh in the face of danger. Seeking out the toughest and most difficult climbs. Never happier than looking out from a …
Film Review: Let the Little Light Shine
Race relations in America are going through yet another turbulent time. Not since the civil rights movement of the 1960s have we seen so much police brutality and intolerance. While it doesn’t attract the same headlines, underlying institutional racism is just as pernicious. Indeed, it can often go unnoticed, attributed to something else entirely. Lingering …
Film Review: Blind Ambition
While wine has been with us in one form or another for thousands of years, today it’s a highly competitive industry which is worth a small fortune. The most sought-after labels go for eye-watering amounts of money at auction and the production process is closely guarded by the top vineyards. It’s one of the most …
Film Review: Where is Anne Frank
Anne Frank is probably the most famous diarist to have ever lived, even though she obviously never got to see her work published. A fact which is unlikely to escape your notice if you visit Amsterdam. Whilst easily the most discussed Jewish figure who lost their life during the Holocaust, the fact that Anne and …
Blu-ray Review: L’argent
They say money makes the world go round and it’s an undeniable truth that most of our lives are dependent on it, in one way or another. There are the basics such as paying the mortgage/rent, covering the bills and buying food, but we all like our little luxuries. A holiday abroad, a new car …
Film Review: Fadia’s Tree
They say that home is where the heart it. This is not something most Europeans probably contemplate, but if you’re born in many parts of the world this idiom can have very different connotations. Some of us are privileged enough to have a country to call our own for our whole lives, however much it …