Curzon
Film Review: Jazz on a Summer’s Day
To put it kindly, concert films can be hit or miss. More often than not they’re no more than a couple of cameras and just band and crowd shots. Made on the cheap to try and turn a quick profit. However, things are definitely getting better and there have always been examples that bucked this …
Film Review: Nowhere Special
For centuries, adoption has been a taboo subject in the UK and Ireland. It has been something patriarchal societies did to women, often against their will, when they gave birth out of wedlock. A device used by rich men to hide away their ‘little accidents’. Today, the stigma may have subsided but it hasn’t disappeared, …
Film Review: Sweat
As far as I’m concerned, there’s little more pernicious in today’s society as the rise of the cult of the influencer. What began as Youtubers or Instagram accounts gaining large followings has evolved into a cottage industry of money-making self-promotion. Why anyone would trust these people is beyond me, let alone worship them. However, whilst …
Film Review: Memories of My Father
Héctor Abad Gómez was a prominent Columbian doctor, university professor and human rights activist. He is responsible for the foundation of the Colombian National School of Public Health and pioneering a number of public health programmes for the poor in Medellín. During his later life, his focus shifted towards tackling the injustices within his country; …
Film Review: Slalom
As we have seen on many occasions over the last few decades, the relationship between coach and athlete can readily be abused. Parents give their children into the hands of professionals on the understanding that they will act as responsible adults for the duration of their guardianship. In extreme cases, such as the Larry Nassar …
Film Review: Dear Comrades!
Communism, like its Marxist foundation, is one of those political ideologies which sounds great in theory but in practice always seems to be twisted to suit whoever is in power. During the Cold War, the word was wielded by many to symbolise some kind of utopian alternative to capitalism, where everyone is equal and works …
Film Review: Being a Human Person
In the film industry, there is no one quite like Roy Andersson. The Swedish director has the most distinct and unique voice in modern cinema. There are few, if any, filmmakers whose work is so instantly recognisable and so consistently surprising. He has been a part of the independent film furniture since he swept the …
Film Review: Memories of Murder
When Parasite won the Best Film at the 2020 Academy Awards, it became the first non-English language film to perform this feat. However, director Bong Joon-ho has been thrilling audiences for twenty years since his feature debut, Barking Dogs Never Bite. Snowpiercer, Okja, Mother and The Host have wowed festival audiences and indie film fans. …
Film Review: Make-Up
Today, us Brits seem to have a love/hate relationship with our traditional seaside resorts. With the elemental power of the sea and beautiful coastal walks comes the faded and crumbling glamour of the glory days and the sound of deserted arcades. Cheap airfares and package holidays marked a steep decline in their popularity. Leaving in …
Film Review: The Souvenir
Joanna Hogg is undoubtedly one of the most unusual and singular voices working in British cinema today. Her work resides in the world she knows. A world of privilege, art and wealth. Whilst this approach is undeniably refreshing, it has come in for criticism. However, her work to date, Unrelated, Archipelago and Exhibition, demonstrate an …