Bulldog Film Distribution
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 – WITCH: We Intend to Cause Havoc
It’s not something you’d probably ever think about but in most of the English-speaking Western world we’re very myopic when it comes to the range of music we listen to. It’s almost all in our (main) native tongue and the vast majority comes from North America, Australasia, Britain or Ireland. It’s very rare to hear …
Film Review: Looted
Whilst the Tory government’s destruction of traditional industries during the 1980s was arguably just speeding-up the inevitable, it left scars which are still evidence in today’s Britain. Communities which have never really recovered, leaving towns and cities to decay. The traditional industrial heartland of the north of England was badly hit. With the decline of …
Film Review: Eternal Beauty
Despite being nominated for two Academy Awards, Sally Hawkins is one of Britain’s most under-appreciated actors. Whilst those turns in The Shape of Water and Blue Jasmine were both brilliant, they’re merely a couple of examples of her ability. Which she’s demonstrated repeatedly, not least in Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith for the BBC and …
Film Review: Gwen
Whilst the Industrial Revolution may have profoundly changed Britain’s position in the world, that doesn’t mean to say that everyone benefited. Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and other major industrial centres flourished but it was largely the factory owners who got rich. This wealth didn’t necessarily stretch outside of major cities. Copper, steel and iron ore provided …
Film Review: Mug
Polish cinema finds itself in a very strange place at the moment. On the one hand, there are film-makers such as Pawel Pawlikowski, who with Ida and Cold War has produced two of the best European films of the last decade. Conversely, there has been a noticeable level of mainstream success from homegrown cinema of …
Film Review: Possum
Matthew Holness is one of the great enigmas of British comedy. After being nominated for the Perrier Award at Edinburgh Fringe two years on the bounce, he brought his most famous creation to Channel 4 Television. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace remains one of the most surreal and unique comedies Britain has ever produced. Then, he seemed …
Film Review: Iceman
In 1991, a body was discovered by German tourists in the Central Eastern Alps. They initially thought it was the recently-deceased corpse of a mountaineer, but remarkably it was discovered to belong to a man who lived between 3400 and 3100 BC. Scientific studies established that he was in his forties when he died and …
DVD Review: Cold Moon
Southern Gothic is one of the most fascinating and enthralling areas of American writing and film-making. The sub-genre is characterised by flawed and eccentric characters, dilapidated rural communities, eerie events and an air of malice. This atmosphere has been most successfully captured on film in Charles Laughton’s Night of the Hunter, Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar …
Film Review: Most Beautiful Island
There are few feats more difficult for a director than to instil a real sense of fear into their films. To build-up tension until the audience is at almost breaking point. One false move can easily break even the most intricately crafted pacing. There are many ways to do this. However, far too often filmmakers …