CPX:DOX Review: Into the Ice
While the climate crisis may have been knocked off the frontpages by other global events, it has not, in any sense, gone away. Indeed, worrying news stories of record temperatures coming out of both Antarctica and the Arctic should cause everyone to pause and think. The difficulty of collecting accurate scientific data in order to …
Film Review: Escape from Mogadishu
Much has been written and filmed about the way the USA and USSR used third countries in order to play out their proxy battles during the Cold War. For decades, almost every single conflict in South America, Africa or Asia had this extra political element. Funded, trained and provisioned by one or both of the …
Blu-Ray Review: To Sleep So As To Dream
Japan has a rich history of oral storytelling and theatre. It’s a culture with a strong emphasis on telling yarns, whether that’s in words or song. So, when silent cinema came to their shores from Europe and America, it was obvious that the public would not be content with silence. They came up with an …
Blu-Ray Review: Boat People
People often wonder how authoritarian regimes manage to keep control, but as current events demonstrate it’s possible to brainwash the majority of a population if you control the narrative. The TV channels, the papers, access to the internet and social media. When that’s not possible or enough, there’s fear and intimidation. Portraying a false image …
HRWFF Review: Judges Under Pressure
The Brexit referendum demonstrated just how little most British people know about the European Union and the power of nationalistic and populist right-wing politics. However, it’s far from perfect and the institution is well overdue widespread reform. The addition of new members from the former Eastern Bloc and Baltic states added several new challenges which …
Film Review: Paris, 13th District
Modern love is difficult. Long gone are the days of boy meets girl and living happily ever after. They fall in love, get married and have a big perfect family. Today, things are much more complicated. Dating is a complex and mysterious dark art, full of perils and pitfalls. A big city offers a lot …
Film Review: Jane by Charlotte
While London might have been swinging during the ‘60s, it was also boomtime in Paris. The French economy was experiencing almost unparalleled growth and with it came a decade of prosperity and hope. Not to mention, political and social turbulence. It was during this time that Serge Gainsbourg came to prominence, his playful and seductive …
HRWFF Review: On the Divide
I can’t be the only one who watches the news coming out of the Southern American States with increasing horror. Slowly but surely, it seems every single law that promotes tolerance, diversity and inclusion is being stripped back. Particularly those focusing on gender equality and LGBTQI+ rights. With loud conservative and Christian voices coming to …
Film Review: Three Floors
Nanni Moretti has been one of the most consistently reliable and impressive Italian filmmakers for decades now. He’s probably best known for The Son’s Room, which won him a Palme d’Or back in 2001 at Cannes Film Festival. However, the former professional waterpolo player has made a number of very good films including Mia Madre, …
Film Review: Olga
While the horrific events and war crimes taking place in Ukraine have dominated news channels around the world, this is not a new conflict. Indeed, former President Yanukovych’s botched attempt to force the country towards Putin, sparking the Maidan protests, was the catalyst for the Kremlin starting the war by invading and annexing Crimea in …