Film Review: The East
When it comes to empires, none of the European countries come out of history well. Take The Netherlands, for example. One of the great merchant seafaring nations, they established trade links in many profitable ports around the world, largely thanks to the Dutch East India company. The territory which is now Indonesia was an unusual …
Film Review: Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
Japan is a country which has always been renowned for its cinema. The likes of Ozu and Kurosawa regularly top ‘best-of’ lists. In modern times, the film industry has been less successful but the likes of Hirokazu Koreeda, Naomi Kawase and Kiyoshi Kurosawa have still made their mark on a global stage. Meanwhile, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi …
Film Review: Monstrum
Throughout history, evil and power-hungry men have created fictional monsters in order to control people. Religion is the most obvious example, which has been used for thousands of years as a means of social control. Every society is full of myths and legends. Cautionary tales of fantastical creatures and supernatural beings to keep citizens on …
Blu-Ray Review: One of Our Aircraft is Missing
No one made films quite like Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Cinema which lifted the spirits until they soared. They collaborated twenty-four times in total, between 1939 and 1972, making some of the greatest British features of all time. The likes of A Matter of Life and Death, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp …
Film Review: Adventures of a Mathematician
Like many Jews from Eastern Europe, Stan Ulam got a job and eventually emigrated to America during the 1930s. He was employed by Harvard University as an academic, working on ergodic theory when not teaching mathematics. Ulam was invited to join the Manhattan Project and was one of the team working on the atomic bomb. …
Film Review – Karen Dalton: In My Own Time
The streets of history are paved with the names of musicians who were supremely talented yet failed to realise their full potential. More often than not, their natural and immense ability is overshadowed by personal demons. Drug or alcohol addiction account for many but sometimes it’s simply a case of having a self-destructive personality or …
Film Review: Next Door
If you watch European cinema at all regularly, you’ll recognise Daniel Brühl. He has one of those memorable faces. You might not be able to quite place him straight away, but he’s most famous for his starring role in Good Bye Lenin!. Also receiving awards for performances in The Edukators and Love in Thoughts. The …
Film Review – Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr.
Rising from the ashes of Deep Wound, a high school hardcore punk band from western Massachusetts, J Mascis and Lou Barlow formed Dinosaur Jr. in 1984. They were joined by Murph on drums and influenced by a shared love of slower heavy music. After releasing a couple of albums, they began to gain momentum in …
Grimmfest 2021 Preview
Now in its 13th edition, Grimmfest has firmly cemented its place on the UK horror film festival circuit. This year the festival returns to its home at Odeon Great Northern in Manchester between, 7-10 October. However, once again, it’s a little different this time round. The in-person fun will be followed by an online version …
Blu-ray Review: Beasts of No Nation
Whilst most, if not all, people reading this will have had a childhood, in many places around the world it’s far from guaranteed. Growing up in a stable and relatively affluent country means that schooling, play, learning etc is the norm. Indeed, the former is a legal requirement in most of the developed world. Although …