FIlm Review
Sheffield Doc/Fest Preview: Boys Who Like Girls
Gender-based violence is rife in countless places around the world. It’s shocking that in many cultures, women and girls are considered to be second-class citizens. Whilst men/boys get the opportunities, their lives are strictly governed by expected norms, whether they’re based on religious or social conventions. This is something which is commonplace and affects their …
Film Review: King of Hearts
Whilst today he may not get the credit or acknowledgement that some of his peers receive, Alan Bates was unquestionable one of the most versatile and well thought of British actors of his generation. Some of his more acclaimed roles are in Gregory’s Girl, Women in Love, The Fixer, Far from the Madding Crowd and …
Film Review: All the Wild Horses
Mongolia is the largest land-locked country in the world. During the 13th and 14th centuries, under the rule of the Khans, the Mongol Empire was the largest this world has ever seen. A large minority of Mongolians are still nomadic peoples, and with huge expanses of country to cross, they’re reliant on their animals. There …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Preview: The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid
As the saying goes, a man’s home is his castle. And like castles some houses are passed down from generation to generation. However, the fact that you own something doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be taken away from you. When big multi-nationals come calling they’re often not asking but telling. There are struggles taking …
Blu-Ray Review: Den of Thieves
There’s something about a heist movie which seems to particularly chime with audiences in the States. The fascination of pitting the good guys against the bad guys and then blurring the lines. Rooting for the underdog and then watching the bad guy take down the system. Cat and mouse chases, outsmarting your enemy and pulling …
Blu-Ray Review: The Mercy
Adventure and discovery have always fascinating man, whether we’re born with the bug or merely excitable voyeurs. Whilst most challenges have now been conquered, even as late as the 1990s the press was full of Richard Branson’s failed attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon. Combine that with a soft spot for …
Film Review: L’Amant Double
There was a time when erotic thrillers were big business in Hollywood. For almost two decades, during the 1980s and 1990s, there was a raft of these types of films. Whilst they were mostly dreadful and all too often descended into soft porn, there were also some outstanding exceptions. The likes of Fatal Attraction, Body …
Blu-Ray Review: The Dam Busters
To try and document and capture everything that happened during World War II would be nigh on impossible. There were so many different battles, skirmishes and engagements on air, land and sea, taking place all over the world, that it’s simply too much to process. Therefore, we tend to focus on certain key dates, battles …
Blu-Ray Review: Smash Palace
I really don’t understand it myself, but there are lots of men (and a few women) who have a strange obsession with motor cars. What’s even more perverse is that they aren’t just content with driving/dreaming of driving their dream car, they also enjoy watching other people do it. Bizarrely, it’s even called a sport. …
Film Review: Zama
There are some film directors who seem to churn out several films per year (I’m looking at you Takeshi Miike) whilst others consistently deliver every year or two. Whether by choice, being distracted by other artforms or through a painstaking production process, a small group are much less prolific. Paul Thomas Anderson is a prime …