Glasgow Film Festival Review: In the Shadows
It doesn’t matter how much developed nations progress. How far science and technology drive any given society forward. Whilst capitalism exists in its current form, the rich will always get richer, the poor will always get poorer. Any cost-saving measures or industrial innovations come at the expense of jobs. Reduced prices for increasingly fragile labour …
Film Review: Sophie Jones
Coming-of-age/teen movies come in all shapes and sizes, but one of the major stumbling blocks filmmakers often run up against is authenticity. It doesn’t help that so many productions fill their cast with twenty-somethings playing characters often ten years their junior. Hollywood, in particular, often falls foul of this trap and prioritises style over substance. …
Film Review: The Dissident
Jamal Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist who worked for the Washington post. He fled his homeland into self-imposed exile in 2017 following Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s crackdown on political critics. He continued to hold the government to account from his new home in America, but became increasingly outspoken against the oppression of freedom of …
Blu-ray Review: Restless Natives
The 1980s was undoubtedly one of the greatest periods for Scottish cinema. Thanks largely to the genius of Bill Forsyth, who was responsible for Gregory’s Girl, Comfort & Joy, Housekeeping and Local Hero, much of the best British cinema during the decade came from north of the border. There was a youthful naivety and fresh-faced …
Film Review: Wrong Turn (2021)
One of the most dispiriting trends within Hollywood is that of the remake, reboot, reimagining, rehash or, as a like to call in, cynical cash-grab. Most of which are pathetic. Whether that’s remaking ‘foreign’ films for those who refuse to read subtitles or rebooting a successful film a few years later in order to extract …
Blu-Ray Review: State Secret
Douglas Fairbanks made his name in silent cinema for a number of swashbuckling roles, including Robin Hood, The Mark of Zorro and The Thief of Baghdad. His son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., was in many ways a chip off the old block. However, whilst being cast in several action roles, including The Fighting O’Flynn, much of …
Blu-Ray Review: Demons 1 & 2
Dario Argento was hugely influential on Italian horror cinema throughout the 1970s and 1980s. As well as being responsible for some of the most iconic and exciting genre movies of that era, he was also instrumental in helping many of his fellow countryman. One such recipient was Lamberto Bava, son of Mario, who he collaborated …
Slamdance Review: A Tiny Ripple of Hope
On the face of it, Chicago should be a thriving multi-cultural city. The population is roughly split between white, black and Hispanic communities. However, look a little closer and it soon becomes apparent that there’s a great gulf between rich and poor. This is typified and often categorised by the number of segregated neighbourhoods there …
Blu-Ray Review: The Ascent
Cinema, like almost every other walk of life, has been a male dominated world since the first ever motion pictures in the late nineteenth century. Whilst it’s true of most areas of the film industry, this disparity has been particularly marked behind the camera. Indeed, until relatively recently, there were few female directors who the …
Blu-ray Review: Columbia Noir #2
Film noir made up a large part of Hollywood filmmaking during the 1940s and 1950s. Whilst these stylish, cynical and melodramatic crime dramas were popular at the time, it was only decades later that many were critically reappraised. This is especially the case with the many ‘B’ movies released during the era. For every big …