LFF Review: Araby
The global financial crisis destroyed lives, wrecked families and impacted on billions of people around the world. However, there is not group, as is always the case, that were harder hit than the poor. Whilst much of the media focus was on banks and multi-national corporations, scant regard was paid to the working-classes around the …
Incoming – Hellraiser: 30th Anniversary
A couple, Larry and Julia, move into an old house belonging to Larry’s family, to make a fresh start. Exploring the dilapidated house, Julia discover a hideous creature – Larry’s half-brother Frank, who is also Julia’s former lover – hiding in the attic. Having lost his earthly body to other-worldly demons called the Cenobites after …
LFF Review: Rift
If you’re looking to build up atmosphere, suspense, a sense of terror and a general creepiness, then setting and backdrop is key. When choosing the location for a thriller, you’ll be hard-pressed to find somewhere more appropriate for spine-tingling thrills than the Nordic countries. Their sinister, eerie and sparse landscapes have added an essential touch …
Film Review: Boy
New Zealand writer, actor, director and snappy dresser Taika Waititi has made a big impression since his feature debut a decade ago. His first film, the impressive Eagle Vs Shark, announced him as someone to keep an eye on. He’s gone on to make the brilliant What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for …
Incoming: The Party
Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) has just been appointed to a key ministerial position in the shadow cabinet – the crowning achievement of her political career. She and her husband Bill (Timothy Spall) plan to celebrate this with a few close friends. As the guests arrive at their home in London the party takes an unexpected …
LFF Review: Becoming Who I Was
To quote a certain William Shakespeare, “some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em”. If you’re a Buddhist, there’s another option. Followers believe that great religious teachers are reincarnated. They refer to those who are the new incarnation of these leaders as Rinpoche. This is the subject of Moon …
Blu-Ray Review: The Party
When looking back at films you didn’t see first time around, it’s fair to say that some age better than others. A case in point is The Party. A film released in 1968 by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers. Sellers, a legendary comic actor who had lost his way after starting to believe his …
Incoming: Lego Ninjago
In this big-screen Ninjago adventure, the battle for Ninjago City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, The Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to …
LFF Review: The Cakemaker
Grief is such a difficult subject to tackle in film. All too often, the drama spills over into melodrama or sentimentality. It’s a fine line to tread and it takes a certain kind of directorial temperament to be successful. A steady hand, an empathetic sensitivity and a willingness to take risks and not just opt …
LFF Review: Princess Cyd
Whilst coming-of-age films with female protagonists are nothing new to European cinema, in America they’re only really a recent phenomenon. When they were made, they’ve tended to fall into specific genres such as comedy (Juno) or horror (Carrie). However, Marielle Heller and Kelly Fremon Craig broke the mould with The Diary of a Teenage Girl …