FIlm Review
Film Review: The Wonders
The Wonders, the beautiful new film from Alice Rohrwacher, derives its power and majesty from a beautiful simplicity. In a world where cinema audiences increasingly demand to be emotionally jolted, it never goes further than a raised voice. The Wonders signifies change, not only as a coming of age film but also the decline of …
Film Review: The Salt of the Earth
Beautiful, harrowing, traumatising and uplifting, the new Wim Wenders film, The Salt of the Earth, only really deals in extreme emotions. The Oscar nominated documentary focusses on famous social and environmental photographer, Sebastião Salgado. Co-directed with Sebastião’s son, Juliano, Wenders’ reverence for his subject is clear, but so is the sheer beauty and horrific power …
Film Review: The Roy Andersson Collection
Roy Andersson is a rather unique film director even for a country renowned producing brilliant and unconventional filmmaking. His career in media has mostly been in commercials and in over five decades he has only made four films. However, it’s a case of quality over quantity, winning numerous awards for his output. The Roy Andersson …
EIFF Review: Turbo Kid
The year 1997. The apocalypse has already happened and those left struggle to survive in a harsh climate where commerce and existence is dominated by the ownership of water. It’s a premise which shares certain similarities with the original Mad Max film, and François Simard and Anouk Whissell, the directors of Turbo Kid, pay homage …
Film Review: The Reunion
I for one will never go to a school or class reunion. The whole concept of meeting up with people you never liked enough to keep in touch with and playing the happiness game is totally repugnant to me. Swedish Artist and filmmaker Anna Odell had an unhappy school life and was bullied. She wanted …
Sheff Doc/Fest Review: Leaving Africa
Africa is a very conservative continent. Outside of South Africa, traditional values and beliefs tend to hold a grip on the populous. Uganda is no exception. Outdated gender roles and stereotypes are abundant and religion plays a huge role in the education of Ugandans. Two sexagenarians, Ritta and Kata, live together and provide sexual and …
Film Review: P’tit Quinquin
Bleak, beautiful and unrelenting are three words which aptly sum-up Bruno Dumont’s career to date. A succession of rural dramas where humanity bends its knee to God and beauty and evil vie for supremacy have seen him rewarded with two Grand Jury Prizes and a Golden Camera at Cannes. For his first foray into Television …
EIFF 2015 Review: Chuck Norris Vs Communism
Many of the restriction of living under a Communist regime are obvious, but others are less well known. The state controlled the media and access to anything from the West was strictly forbidden. Speak to anyone from that era and their memories of TV and film from their childhood is very different to those living …
Film Festival Review: EIFF 2015
Whilst Kristen Wiig may well have been the biggest winner of the 69th incarnation of Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), the sheer quality and diversity of programming meant that it remains one of the most important showcases of new film in the UK. I was fortunate enough to spend a long weekend in Edinburgh and …
Film Review: The First Film
The first moving film was shot by Louis Le Prince in Leeds on 14 October 1888. At least, that’s what writer and broadcaster David Wilkinson believes. In The First Film, he puts forward a strong argument that this is the case. . Traditionally, this accolade is attributed to either Thomas Edison or The Lumière brothers, …