Film Review: Robert the Bruce
When it comes to famous Scottish historical figures, there’s very few, if any, more famous than Robert the Bruce. He spent much of his adult life battling the English and serving under William Wallace, eventually succeeding the ‘braveheart’ as joint Guardian of Scotland. Bruce was crowned King of Scotland in 1306. However, after a number …
Incoming: In Fabric
The latest from the unique imagination of Peter Strickland, In Fabric is a typically distinctive and haunting tale that blends Giallo-infused horror with absurdist dark humour, to ghostly effect. Set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period at a mysterious Thames Valley department store, the film follows the journey of a cursed but …
Blu-Ray Review: Last Hurrah for Chivalry / Hand of Death: Two Films by John Woo
There have been very few film-makers who began their careers in Asian cinema and then made the successful transition to Hollywood. Whilst the language barrier is an obvious difficulty, it’s often cultural differences which provide the biggest hurdles. John Woo is a notable exception. He first came to prominence in the 1990s, with his films …
Incoming: Mari
Charlotte (Bobbi Jene Smith), a successful contemporary dancer, is thriving in London. With her latest show just days away from opening night, she receives news that her grandmother, Mari (Paddy Glynn), is dying. Dropping everything, she heads to Dorset to join her mother (Phoebe Nicholls) and sister (Madeline Worrall), but on arrival, she discovers she’s …
Blu-Ray Review: A Case for a Rookie Hangman
One of the things which separates us humans from other animals is our boundless imagination (although, having said that I’ve known some extremely resourceful cats). Nowhere has this creativity and inventiveness flourished so much as in literature. Loosely based on the third book of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Pavel Juráček draws on the work of …
Film Review: The Captor
Ethan Hawke is an actor who has flirted with success and stardom but never really managed to become an ‘A’ lister. He’s been a highly visible actor since the 1990s, with roles in the likes of Reality Bites, Gattaca, Before Sunrise and Alive. He looked destined for the big time but it never really happened. …
Incoming: Brightburn
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? Brightburn is out in cinemas from 19 June.
Blu-Ray Review: Under Fire
Whilst the Cold War may have been fought between the two world superpowers, the USA and the USSR, the arena of battle spanned many countries on several continents. This was almost always covertly done. Backing an insurgency here or funding a regime to put down an uprising there. In the Nicaraguan Revolution, which was a …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: Marianne & Leonard – Words of Love
In Greek and Roman mythologies there were nine muses. These daughters of Zeus presided over the arts and sciences and for centuries artists would cite a muse as the inspiration for their greatest work. Leonard Cohen, one of the greatest songwriters of the twentieth century, was no exception. Nick Broomfield’s new documentary, Marianne & Leonard …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: On the President’s Orders
On the President’s Orders tells the story behind these atrocities in a succinct, stylish and sobering way.