FIlm Review
Film Review: January
Winter can be a magical time of year and there’s nothing more atmospheric than a sprinkling of snow. In many places, that light covering becomes something different entirely. In Eastern Europe, snowbound conditions are perfect for traditional folklore and legends to flourish. Rural communities huddled alone in the dark. Listening to new carried on the …
Film Review: Corsage
‘Growing old gracefully’ is one of those gendered concepts which is usually applied differently to men and women in patriarchal societies. A man matures with age and is seen to gain wisdom as they reach their autumnal years. A woman, on the other hand, is often viewed as ‘past it’ and expected to simply quietly …
Film Review: Jurassic Punk
With the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron is set to take special effects to a whole new level. In a sense, he’s been a pioneer in this area since the release of The Abyss in 1989 and then Terminator 2: Judgement Day a couple of years later. However, it took the …
Film Review: Rimini
Fame is a curious thing. It can come and go in the blink of an eye. One day, you’re on top of the world. Everyone want to be you or be with you. The next, you’re yesterday’s man; washed up with a rapidly diminishing fanbase. Age is rarely kind to performers. Most people take the …
Film Review: Blanquita
Legal systems are built on upholding the law through the interrogation of factual evidence. Augmented by expert testimony/witness statements. Some crimes are easily quantifiable, while others can boil down to one person’s word against another. Over the last few decades, many countries have faced reckonings over their pasts. Blanquita considers the role of truth, deception …
Film Review: Mr Bachmann and his Class
Whilst the results usually take longer to settle, one of the most fruitful approaches to documentary filmmaking is to merely observe. To create a situation where the camera is as non-invasive as possible and simply capture events taking place without direction or interference. The great Frederick Wiseman has shown the immersive power of this medium …
Film Review: Christmas Bloody Christmas
The older I get, the earlier Christmas seems to start each year. Businesses certainly look to make the most of it, seamlessly transitioning from Halloween into the festive season. This is great if you’re a big fan of the holidays. Not so great if you’re more bah humbug than ho ho ho. The endless forced …
Film Review: The Last Film Show
The magic of cinema is a subject many directors like to pursue, largely because it’s what drew them to start making films in the first place. The results have range from perennial misty-eyed favourites like Singin’ in the Rain and Cinema Paradiso to more outlandish and analytic modern fare. The joy and wonder of going …
Film Review: Nr.10
As William Shakespeare (or someone else) so famously penned, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…”. This has obvious connotations in terms of our own self-determination. We’re born, reach childhood, become an adult, …
Film Review: Tori and Lokita
Immigration is a perennial headline grabber in European countries. The migrant crisis tends to get people overly exercised and is used by many to fuel intolerance, hatred and racism. Most of Europe has benefited from colonialism in one way or another. Whether that’s economically or through the movement of labour. The slatter through slavery and …