Fantasia Festival Review: A Mermaid in Paris
Depictions of mermaids on the big screen tend to be one of two things. They’re either the mythical terror of the deep who lure men to their deaths or they’re a perfectly tractable partner for a leading man. It’s safe to say that most roles are written by men! There’s normally very little imagination involved. …
Film Review: Children of the Sea
Ninety-seven percent of the water on the Earth is in our oceans whilst seventy-one percent of the planet is covered in water. It is surprising then that our knowledge of the seas is so limited, at best, with eighty percent remaining unmapped. There are the obvious difficulties connected with marine exploration, but as a species …
Fantasia Festival Review: Lapsis
Whilst the gap between rich and poor continues to grow wider with each passing year, a new unwelcome industry sector has gained prominence within the western world. The gig economy and zero-hour contracts are just the latest blights on society. They allow employers to get richer, by offering commitment-free employment, but afford workers little or …
Fantasia Festival Review: Bleed with Me
The film industry has traditionally been a bit of a boy’s club. Whilst diversity has gradually seeped into film-making, with huge advances made over the last few years, there’s still a long way to go. Although this improvement has been across the board, genre cinema has generally lagged behind the curve. As a result, we’ve …
Fantasia Festival Review: Kriya
When most people think about the cinema of India, thoughts naturally turn to Bollywood. Whilst the all singing, all dancing Hindi film industry is something of a corporate juggernaut, there’s a thriving independent cinema sector which struggles to make its voice heard. However, over the last couple of years we’re beginning to see Indian directors …
Fantasia Festival Review: Special Actors
Of all the countries in the world it’s probably Japan which most regularly creates the most unusual, odd and unlikely cinema. It does seem to be a fertile breeding ground for filmmakers, leading to some of the wackiest and imaginative films you’re likely to see. This was the case with One Cut of the Dead. …
Fantasia Festival Review: Unearth
Whilst fracking is hugely controversial in countries such as the UK, it’s far more prevalent and accepted in America. Indeed, Hydraulic fracturing has been a part of oil and natural gas extraction in the US since the post-war period. Today, it’s a huge industry and, despite record low prices, there’s still a rapacious demand for …
Film Review: Away
Whilst the world of animation can sometimes feel like it’s dominated by a mix of Disney/Pixar et al and a number of Asian studios, there is some fine work coming out of Europe. Most notably from Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea/The Breadwinner), UK’s Aardman Animations (Early Man/Arthur Christmas) and a number of French …
Fantasia Festival Review: You Cannot Kill David Arquette
Hollywood lore is littered with tales of famous actors who went off the rails. It’s an industry which encourages egos and nurtures narcissism. The curse of celebrity can be a high price to pay for becoming a film star. David Arquette came through in the same generation as the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew …
Fantasia Festival Review: Detention
Between 1949 and 1987 there was a period of political oppression in Taiwan which was dubbed the ‘White Terror’. This span of marital law saw a continuous crackdown on freedom of speech and literature which promoted ‘dangerous ideals’. Over one hundred thousand Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants were imprisoned during this time. Schools and universities were …