Film
Film Review: Robin’s Wish
Following his success on the stand-up comedy circuit and the brilliant Mork & Mindy on TV, Robin Williams soon cemented himself as one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood; quickly becoming a household name. Whilst much more than just a comic actor (Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Awakenings etc), he’ll be remembered by …
Film Review: Deliver Us from Evil
Cat and mouse thrillers often provide some of the most engrossing cinematic experiences. The battle of wits. The oscillating power struggle between two protagonists. Blurring the lines between good and evil. These elements combine to create nail-biting action. This concept has been embraced warmly in Asian cinema, with the likes of I Saw the Devil, …
Film Review: Sing Me a Song
How often do you find yourself watching a film and when it ends wondering how it will all turn out? Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but several years down the line. Richard Linklater answered that question quite beautifully in his ‘Before’ trilogy. That prospect of a brighter future can easily sour. In Happiness, Thomas …
Film Review – The Blackout: Invasion Earth
Whilst most people in the West might not be aware of it, over the past couple of decades Russian cinema has set its sights on rivalling Hollywood. This has resulted in a number of blockbusters, which are often heavy on the CGI and light on the writing. However, the likes of Stalingrad, Viy, Day Watch, …
Film Review: Coded Bias
Today, more and more, our lives are steered, influenced and decided by algorithms. Major corporations and governments have realised that it’s much more efficient for them to let computers make decisions instead of humans. Whilst Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly a game changer, these innovations are only as good as the people who program them. …
Film Review: Four Games in Fall
Whatever happens in love, war and politics, sport has always been held up to the highest scrutiny. The Olympic Games, with its origins dating back to ancient Greece, is the ultimate in sporting achievement. Its ethos focuses on the importance of taking part and competing over actually winning. This attitude seems more than a little …
Film Review: Jiu Jitsu
To say that Nicolas Cage is prolific would be a profound understatement. Since 2015 he has starred in well over twenty films. It’s almost impossible to keep up. As you’d expect with these kinds of numbers, the quality control isn’t exactly great. The once Oscar-winning actor has garnered a reputation for making bad films. More …
Film Review: Hunter Hunter
Whilst the USA’s love affair with guns is well documented, less is made of the popularity of hunting in North America. Whilst you expect it from their southern cousins, this practice, hobby or sport is still very popular in Canada; with over one million people heading into nature every year. This could be due to …
FilmFestival Cottbus Review: 18 kHz
It’s hard to quantify just how vast and varied the USSR was as a union. Spanning well over 200 million kilometres and encompassing at least 130 different spoken languages, it encompassed a wealth of different cultures and peoples. It has been difficult for some nations to escape culturally and socially from their former mistress. Take …
Film Review: Skylines
There can’t be many people who thought after watching The Brother Strause’s Skyline in 2000 that it would be the first instalment of one of the best sci-fi trilogies of the 21st century. It was an inauspicious opening, but when co-writer and producer Liam O’Donnell made the surprisingly good sequel Beyond Skyline in 2017, things …