Incoming: Filmed in Supermarionation
Directed and produced by Stephen La Rivière (The Story Of Upstairs Downstairs, We Were ‘The Champions’), Filmed In Supermarionation is a screen adaptation of his book of the same name telling the story of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s TV productions using a wealth of previously unseen archive footage, new interviews with those involved, fantastic reconstructions …
DVD Review: Sophia’s Last Ambulance
Documentaries are often seen as the poor cousin of narrative films. They are often overlooked in the main selection at film festivals and seldom win any of the main awards. Take Cannes Film Festival for instance. In 2012 Sophia’s Last Ambulance was only the second documentary to feature in its International Critics Week. It went …
DVD Review: Omar
Over the years the Oscars has seen many nominees that have been unfairly beaten to the ultimate prize by an inferior film. The Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is even more precarious as many great films have failed to be chosen by their respective countries to compete. The Battle of Algiers, The Last Metro, Au …
Film Review: Violette
Simone de Beauvoir is considered to be a household name in the spheres of groundbreaking female authors and feminist philosophy. Violette Leduc is not, but her work did as much to push the boundaries of female sexuality in literature, and open-up opportunities for women within the literary arena. Martin Provost’s biographical drama doesn’t pull any …
DVD Review: Joe
Nicholas Cage is possibly the most schizophrenic actor working in Hollywood today. The meme-friendly and oft-ridiculed star is frequently mocked for his range of emotions. It’s easy to forget that he’s won an Oscar for his acting prowess. However, these glimpses of brilliance are often rare. For every Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona and Adaptation …
Incoming: Tony Benn: Will and Testament
Tony Benn, the longest serving Labour MP in history, is also, arguably, the most popular UK politician of all time. Across the globe and in particular over the last five years his brand of socialism has struck a cord with people of all ages and social backgrounds. For the first time ever through intimate, quasi …
Film Festival Preview: Grimmfest
This year’s Grimmfest promises to be the biggest, bloodiest and best yet; bringing the very best in new Horror, Cult and Sci-fi cinema from around the world. The festival takes place between October 2-5 at the Dancehouse, Manchester. The festival fringe will be at Gorilla and Odeon Printworks. Special guests include for Let Us Prey …
Incoming: Life After Beth
Zach (Dane DeHaan) is devastated by the unexpected death of his girlfriend, Beth (Aubrey Plaza). But when she miraculously comes back to life, Zach takes full advantage of the opportunity to share and experience all the things he regretted not doing with her before. However, the newly returned Beth isn’t quite how he remembered her …
Film Review: Ida
When colour replaced black and white as the universal celluloid medium it began a slow demise of a certain artistry of cinematography. There’s something about the use of light and shadow in old films which holds a spell over me. The last few decades have produced some beautiful modern black and white films: The White …
DVD Review: Norte: The End of History
There have been some mammoth films throughout the course of cinema history. Resan clocks in at 873 minutes whilst How Yukong Moved the Mountains and Out 1 have runtimes of over 700 minutes. Sátántangó, which is screening around the country as part of Scalarama at the moment, racks up a creditable 450 minutes. Director Lav …