FIlm Review
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: Knives and Skin
The mainstream film industry seems obsessed with re-visiting the past and almost incapable of trying something new. Something a bit different. Endless sequels and remakes. Re-hashes of the same old plot. The same worn out formula. Studios are allergic to risk. Unwilling to back a strong new voice for fear of losing money. Audiences, sheltered …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: Maggie
Along with horror, science fiction and fantasy films often find themselves unfairly maligned. What so many fail to understand is that genre film-making is not just (normally) a case of killer robots, zombies or dark elves. These fantastical scenarios are often used as a way of making a serious point. Wrapping a social issue within …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: DreadOut
Whilst it’s hardly an everyday occurrence, it’s not unusual for siblings to make films together. In Asian cinema, Shaw Brothers was at one time a world-famous production company whilst more recently Oxide and Danny Pang have had hits with Bangkok Dangerous and the Eye films. Whilst the Mo brothers’ greatest success so far has been …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review – Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson
It’s not easy, or cheap, to make a film. A surprising as it might seem, we only normally get to see the best of the best in cinemas. Nowadays most either go straight to ‘download’ or disappear down the black hole of no distribution. However, digital technology means anyone can now make a movie. Back …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: We Are Little Zombies
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know just how central the gaming culture is to the lives of (almost) three generations of young, and not so young, people. It’s pervasive and encroaches into almost every aspect of daily life. For his feature debut, Makoto Nagahisa chooses a structure which mimics that of a role-playing …
Film Review: Varda by Agnès
Whilst it has become customary to respond to the death of anyone even vaguely famous with a series of platitudes, in the case of Agnès Varda it was a huge loss to the world of cinema. She had a relentlessly inquisitive character, both of herself and anyone she came into contact with. A stalwart of …
Film Review: DeadTectives
Anyone of a certain age is likely to have a vivid memory of 31 October 1992. The BBC decided to air a very special live television experience to celebrate Halloween. Those who saw Ghostwatch were probably haunted by that experience. Whilst it was a spoof, it paved the way for paranormal television. The most famous …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: Shadow
Whilst Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon introduced an unsuspecting world to the joys of wuxia at the start of the century, no one has done more to keep it in the public eye than Zhang Yimou. The Chinese director, made famous by Hero and House of Flying Daggers, has been a key proponent of this style …
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 …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: Chiwawa
When you’re young, life passes by at a blistering pace and friends and lovers come and go in a blink of an eye. Every day is all about living in the moment and finding the next party to go to. Finding a way to follow your dreams and not worrying too much about what will …