Blu-Ray Review: Russian Raid
Russia is unquestionably a highly complex country full of contradictions and battles between tradition and progression. One of the greatest upheavals of the last few decades was the conversion from communism to capitalism. It’s a transition which has been choppy, to say the least. Resulting in a number of extremely rich oligarchs left to get …
BFI Flare: Sweetheart
Being a teenager is never easy. Stuck somewhere between childhood and adulthood, with your body undergoing a number of unseen and seen changes. It can all be extremely confusing. Especially, with peer pressure, parental expectations and the almost constant cultural assault on adolescents. When you’re different, or at least feel different, it can become isolating. …
BFI Flare Review: Firebird
Until relatively recently, being openly gay in the military was a criminal offence, and that was in the more progressive nations. Even then, there’s often a reluctance to ‘come out’ for fear of bullying, harassment and discrimination. In less tolerant and usually only vaguely democratic countries, it’s still illegal. However, in ‘ancient’ Sparta or Medieval …
BFI Flare Review: The Greenhouse
The loss of a loved one can be paralysing. The death of someone who has played a huge part in your daily life can leave a gap which can never be filled. Whilst most people find a way to move on, step by step, it’s just too painful for others. They retreat within themselves. Often …
French Film Festival UK Review: Home Front
Whilst Europe might have prospered financially from its colonies, the decades of misrule and abuse have left lasting scars. The process of independence has been a natural evolution for some but in other instances has been incredibly fractious. This was the case in Algeria where French rule began in 1830 and culminated with the Algerian …
Film Review: After the Murder of Albert Lima
The death of a parent is almost always devastating. Whether they’re taken suddenly after a long and fulfilling life or following a long illness, the grief and trauma can be impossible to cope with. Their absence a constant shadow. It can take months and even years for children to be able to move on with …
BFI Flare Review: Mama Gloria
Whilst Western societies have come a long way when it comes to equal rights for all, that doesn’t mean that everyone is being afforded the same treatment. Or that there’s not been a backslide over the past few years with the rise of popularism. Whilst there are still massive issues surrounding race relations, gender inequality …
HRWFF Review: A Thousand Cuts
During his election campaign to become President of the Philippines in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte promised to eradicate the drug problem in the country. As mayor of Davao, he removed crime from the streets by employing death squads to murder drug users, petty criminals and the homeless. Since his election to the top job, he’s been …
HRWFF Review: Belly of the Beast
2020 was a busy year for news, but one of the biggest talking points was the death of George Floyd (one of many) and the Black Lives Matter protests. The USA has a serious problem with institutional racism which impacts on every aspect of life. The criminal justice and prisons systems are no exceptions. Indeed, …
Film Review: Slaxx
The ‘villain’ in horror cinema comes in many shapes and sizes, including strange mythical creatures, supernatural terrors, terrifying children or simply just a human who has gone very, very bad. The one thing they usually have in common is that they’re living, breathing, intelligent entities. But that’s not always the case. We’ve been tormented by …