Film
Film Review: Three Floors
Nanni Moretti has been one of the most consistently reliable and impressive Italian filmmakers for decades now. He’s probably best known for The Son’s Room, which won him a Palme d’Or back in 2001 at Cannes Film Festival. However, the former professional waterpolo player has made a number of very good films including Mia Madre, …
Film Review: Olga
While the horrific events and war crimes taking place in Ukraine have dominated news channels around the world, this is not a new conflict. Indeed, former President Yanukovych’s botched attempt to force the country towards Putin, sparking the Maidan protests, was the catalyst for the Kremlin starting the war by invading and annexing Crimea in …
Film Review: Europa
The ‘migrant crisis’ has highlighted the privileged position those of us living within the borders of Europe really have. Every person making this dangerous and potentially deadly journey has their own story, but the lasting impacts of colonialism and Western interference (or inaction) usually play some role. People fleeing war, famine, corruption and oppression are …
Film Review: The Last Tourist
We seem to have reached peak tourism. A confluence of standards of living in developed countries reaching an all-time high and travel being more accessible than ever before. With environmental concerns this pressure may ease, but holiday hotspots are reaching breaking point in terms of numbers. At the same time, those communities which rely on …
Film Review: River
Regardless of our reliance on it for survival, as a rule humans take the natural world around them for granted. Little thought is expended on the impact our daily lives have on it and whether one day it simply won’t be there for us in the same way. The air we breathe, the land we …
GFF Review: Hommage
While there have been great steps forward over the last couple of decades, the film industry is still a male-dominated world. The level of access afforded to women fluctuates between different countries, with the more progressive at least seeming to have a level playing field. On the face of it, anyway. Access and support are …
GFF Review: Carajita
It is estimated that there are currently over sixty-five million domestic workers around the world. Mostly women, they are normally from poorer backgrounds and are afforded some of the weakest legal protections within the countries they live. Expected to work long hours and dedicate their lives to the families they work for. While they are …
GFF Review: Some Like It Rare
As people turn away from meat in increasing numbers, let’s not kid ourselves that the alternatives are entirely perfect. Nevertheless, there is no doubting that we need to eat far fewer of our animal cousins. We cannot sustain the current levels of production and veganism is rapidly offering a viable and increasingly varied solution. There’s …
GFF Review: Mandrake
A mandrake is the root of a plant belonging to several of the nightshade family. The species which grow around the Mediterranean are often to be found in folklore and legend. This is largely down to their roots, which can often resemble human forms, and their poisonous and hallucinatory properties. They have therefore played a …
GFF Review – Wyrmwood Apocalypse
Maybe it’s the prevalence of shopping centres, but there’s something about the concept of zombies which takes a bit out of culture and just won’t let go. Since Victor Halperin’s White Zombie was released back in 1932, the undead hordes have gradually come to dominate genre TV and cinema. The likes of The Walking Dead, …