Sundance Review: The Mission
The restorationist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints considers itself to be the modern embodiment of the church founded by Jesus Christ. Based in Salt Lake City and formed by Joseph Smith in the early nineteenth century, it has become one of the biggest denominations in the world. All young Mormon men are expected …
Sundance Review: Fire of Love
As strange as it may seem, we’re only here today because of volcanoes. The Earth has been, and continues to be, sculpted and shaped by these mighty powerhouses. They can create life and destroy it, providing the building blocks from which flora, fauna and animals emerged. Present on every continent, over 1500 of them are …
Sundance Review: I Didn’t See You There
It’s impossible to appreciate the challenges being in a wheelchair presents to carrying-out everyday tasks, let alone anything a little more ambitious. The things those of us who are able-bodied take for granted can become some kind of elaborate obstacle course. It’s still scandalous that in 2022 there are so many places and spaces which …
Sundance Review: Happening
As the US Supreme Court continues to push back women’s rights in Texas by decades, it’s worth remembering that abortion has only been legal in the country for less than fifty years. When it comes to a woman’s right to choose, Europe has been little better and often much worse. In France, it became legal …
Sundance Review: Dual
I think everyone is afraid, at one time or another, of becoming terminally ill. It’s only natural to fear for the worst every time you’re waiting for results from medical tests. As a species, we spend far too much time considering our own mortality. Running disaster scenarios through our heads. It’s one area where the …
Sundance Review: Klondike
Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last few weeks, you’ll have read about the growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia in the news. While the coverage tends to focus on the probability of an invasion and what form one might take, the countries are already ay war and have been …
Film Review: Parallel Mothers
There are few more colourful events in the film calendar than a new offering from Pedro Almodóvar. The Spanish master has a flair for the theatrical and an eye for the melodramatic. He’s undoubtedly one of the greatest living European filmmakers, with a raft of hits including Volver, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Talk …
Film Review – Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster
Along with his great rival Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff was one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. Iconic is an understatement. After initially struggling to make his mark in the business, his breakthrough came in James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931). He went on to become a familiar face in genre …
Sundance Review: Sirens
While the last decade has seen a lot of progress within the music industry, it’s still a male-dominated area and one where women regularly find themselves treated as second-class ‘citizens’. That’s on top of the abuse, prejudice and harassment they routinely suffer. Especially if they actually have the temerity to play a musical instrument. Although …
Sundance Review: To The End
While history will remember the 2020 US Presidential election for the ‘storming of the Capitol’ and a victory for rationalism over populism, there were so many individual and dogmatic battles taking place. One of the most compelling arenas was the struggle for the hearts and minds of the Democratic Party. On the one hand, you …