FIlm Review
Film Review: Court
When there’s a discussion around Indian cinema it’s only natural that talk turns to Bollywood. Boasting the biggest movie industry in the world, the influence and reach of the likes of Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan is global. Often overlooked in favour of its more glamorous sibling, the Indian film industry is having …
Film Review: Marguerite
History is littered with tales of those whose own self-belief and confidence belied their actual ability. It’s an arguably admiral and endearing character trait which has traditionally been associated with eccentricity, but more recently with mental health issues. Florence Foster Jenkins was a socialite and operatic soprano who was ridiculed for her atrocious singing ability. …
Film Review: The Pearl Button
Patricio Guzmán has built up a reputation of being one of the most thoughtful and meditative documentary film makers over the last 40 odd years. His contemplative style continues into his output, only releasing a film every 4 or 5 years or so. However, as Nostalgia for the Light and Salvador Allende attest, they’re well …
Incoming: High Rise
Directed by Ben Wheatley, High-Rise is an adaptation of J.G. Ballards’s novel. The film centres around Robert Laing, a young doctor who is seduced by a residential tower block and its visionary creator who has designed the building as a luxurious world apart from the problems of the city it stands in. But when discord …
Film Review: The Unfolding
Found Footage films are, quite thankfully, on the way out. When they’re done well, the use of handheld and multiple fixed cameras can make films more atmospheric and ramp up the tension. Unfortunately, for the most part, its has been increasingly used as a lazy device or a cheap way to flesh-out films. The Paranormal …
Film Review: Next To Her
Israeli cinema hardly has any significance of reputation on a global scale. However, it continues to produce impressive low-budget drama. From meditations on the Middle-East conflict in Waltz with Bashir and The Gatekeepers to religiously fuelled dramas such as Fill the Void and Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, the country has produced some powerful …
Film Review: The Here After
Actions we take in anger can have enormous consequences on the rest of our lives. Arguments around whether prison works, rehabilitation, second chances and if those who’ve served their time should be allowed to integrate back into their community have captivated film-makers for decades. Magnus von Horn’s début film, The Here After, focusses on the …
Film Review: Curtain
One accusation frequently levelled against the horror genre is that many films lack originality. Admittedly, there are many horror movies being made today which are highly derivative and often lazy. There are, however, a growing number of distinctly unique films being made. Killer tyres, mould, houses, beds and unfortunately situated teeth, to name but a …
Film Review: Last Girl Standing
Have you ever watched a film and asked yourself, What happens next? In these heady days of the franchise, Hollywood will happily provide you with a less interesting answer. There are films with huge cliffhangers, such as Blade Runner, where the uncertainty of the final scenes generates a whole school of speculation. Horror films often …
Film Review: The Propaganda Game
North Korea is one of the most fascinating countries in the world for me. This is largely due to the lack of information we have about the State. Indeed, much of our understanding about the reclusive nation comes almost entirely through overblown stories in the media. This is the pretence behind Álvaro Longoria’s documentary The …