Film Review – Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint
As students of art history have been taught for generations, the first (truly) abstract art was created by Wassily Kandinsky in 1911. The European painter was generally accepted as being the movement’s first pioneer. Whilst there’s an argument that the form has its roots further back in history, the Russian was almost adamant about his …
Film Review: Birthday Wonderland
If there’s one thing Japanese storytellers don’t lack, it’s imagination. It’s a culture which allows room for a fertile mind to run riot. The result is a myriad of books, comics, television series, films and video games which astound and astonish. Often taking a common social issue and generating a fantasy world around that theme. …
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 …
Nightstream Festival Preview
The knock-on effects of the ongoing crisis have been particularly difficult for the creative sectors, but trying to organise a film festival in the current climate ranges from daunting to impossible. Undeterred, five US genre festivals have found a novel solution. Boston Underground, Brooklyn Horror, North Bend, Overlook, and Popcorn Frights have banded together to …
Grimmfest 2020 Preview
Now approaching its teens, Grimmfest has firmly cemented its place on the UK horror film festival circuit. However, as you might well expect, the (normally) Manchester-based festival looks very different in 2020. This year it’s packed-up its mask and moved online. Fear not, because you’re still going to be treated to twenty new features, a …
Blu-Ray Review: Beau Travail
During the past couple of years, a strange thing has happened to Claire Denis. The renowned director of such brilliant films as 35 Shots of Rum, Bastards and White Materials has always been popular and feted on festival circuits, but she now appears to have become the fairy godmother of European arthouse cinema. Whilst a …
Film Review: Rebuilding Paradise
In late 2018, rapid wildfires surged through Bute County in northern California, leading to an almost indescribable tragedy. The Camp Fire was the deadliest in the United States for a century and in the history of the state. The town of Paradise was almost completely decimated, with the loss of 85 civilians and displacing 50,000 …
BFI London Film Festival 2020 Preview
The BFI London Film Festival 2020 is, for obvious reasons, looking a bit different this year. The stars of the film world will not be descending on London in their droves this time round. However, whilst some festivals may have hunkered down for better times, not at the BFI. Whilst this year’s offering is online …
Film Review: Miss Juneteenth
I suspect this year was the first time most people in the UK, especially those of us who are white, had heard of Juneteenth. However, the events surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests and the idiocy of the American president made the date front page news. Juneteenth is celebrated on 19 June to commemorate the …
Film Review: The Swerve
Everyone has a limit. A limit to how much we can take before it all just becomes too much and we snap. Regardless of whether you have a long or short fuse, there’s a boiling point which once exceeded rapidly leads to a big bang. Much of this takes place internally, so someone can look …