Sundance Review: Utama
The Quechua people originated from Peru but spread out across South America into Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia and Ecuador. Traditionally, these indigenous groups have lived off the land, either through agricultural cultivation or pastoral farming on higher ground. However, a combination of economic pressures and climate change has forced many to move to cities, often …
Sundance Review: After Yang
History is littered with directors who make a huge splash with their debut feature and then struggle to follow it up. It’s not surprising really as most toil for years to bring their first ‘baby’ to life. The tricky ‘second album’ has all of the expectation without necessarily the time or space to flesh out …
Sundance Review: The Worst Person in the World
Three is the magic number. This is particularly the case for many independent directors who want to bring their vision to the big screen but need more time to do it. The concept of a thematic trilogy helped the likes of Krzysztof Kieślowski (Three Colours), Park Chan-wook (Vengeance), Antonioni (Alienation), Wim Wenders (Road Movie), Roman …
Sundance Review: All That Breathes
In ancient Egypt, it is said that the god Isis would take the form of a kite in order to resurrect the dead. In Islam, it is said that if you feed pieces of meat to these birds, they will swallow your worries and problems. The black kite, unlike many of its kin, is a …
Sundance Review: Nothing Compares
Today, the pop music industry is mostly inhabited by a bunch of characterless and sterile stars. Any personality quirks or more eccentric characteristics are normally ironed out by record companies and their handlers. Or, occasionally, the latter is played up, in a controlled way, if they’re seen as beneficial to the ‘brand’. Whilst this isn’t …
Sundance Review: Riotsville, USA
The 1960s was a tumultuous time in the history of the United States of America. The post-war economic boom may have surged across the country but that didn’t mean it benefited all Americans. Historical racial tensions, which dated back to the time of slavery, bubbled to the surface, especially in the South. Poverty and social …
Sundance Review: Fresh
When online dating first began, it was seen as a great way for likeminded people to meet and fall in love. However, like just about everything created my man, and indeed men, the flaws in the system soon became apparent. Potential new mates relied on a logarithm which was often based on lies and your …
Blu-Ray Review: The Sun Shines Bright
John Ford was undoubtedly on of the greatest American directors of his generation. Over the course of six decades, he made well over one hundred films. Starting his career in the silent era and ending it during the 1960s. Making a number of iconic westerns, such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, My Darling Clementine and The …
Sundance Review: Tantura
As the saying goes, history is always written by the victors. Especially when it involves war or fighting, where the emphasis is placed on the heroic triumph and little is mentioned about exactly how it was achieved or what happened in the aftermath. War crimes happen more often than you’d think, but they are almost …
Film Review: Dear Rider
While the history of snowboarding can’t be traced back to just one single point, the first model which resembles a modern snowboard first appeared in the 1960s. The original was basically an adaptation of a surfboard which wfor tailored to the pistes. These ‘snurfers’ became available towards the end of the decade but it’s widely …