Blu-Ray Review: Kagemusha
Tatsuya Nakadai was one of the best known and most celebrated Japanese actors of his era. He’s probably best known for his partnership with director Masaki Kobayashi, for whom he starred in The Human Condition trilogy, Samurai Rebellion, Kwaidan and many others. However, he also worked with most of the generation’s greatest filmmakers from the …
Film Review: Son
The bond between mother and child is unique and begins in the womb. This closeness continues after birth, and whilst this physical and emotional connection gradually wanes over time, it’s often the strongest attachment we’re ever likely to have. The maternal relationship with a son is distinct in its own way and boys are often …
Film Review: Into the Darkness
There’s nothing us Europeans seem to like more than a jolly good war story starring a handsome, intelligent and brave nationalist hero. Indeed, if you did the maths and counted everyone who claimed to have been a partisan or resistance fighter, it’s surprising that the Nazis weren’t simply crushed by the sheer weight of numbers. …
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Eye of the Storm
While James Morrison may not be a familiar name to most, he has played an important role in post-war Scottish art. Indeed, the Glaswegian has often been credited by many as helping to rejuvenate landscape painting in Scotland. His career spanned over seven decades, beginning with tenements of his native Glasgow and ending with countryside …
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Black Bear
We do not live in a meritocracy and there is no job sector where this is more evident than the film industry. It’s a vocation overpopulated by wealth, nepotism and privilege. A world in which Christopher Abbott casts a rather unique shadow, slowly working his way up and consistently impressing. Since his debut in Martha …
Glasgow Film Festival: Redemption of a Rogue
One of the most well-known stories in the Bible is that of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The younger brother leaves home and squanders his life and wealth, only to return home and be fondly welcomed back into the flock by his father. Over the centuries, this idea has been adapted into literature, art, …
Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché
Marianne Joan Elliott-Said was one of the most influential musicians and artists of the late 1970s. After watching an early Sex Pistols gig on Hastings pier, she put an advert in Melody Maker looking for ‘young punx who want to stick it together’. She became Poly Styrene and they became the X-Ray Spex. As a …
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Jumbo
In the 21st century, love and sex come in countless shapes and sizes. Whilst many traditional cultures still adhere strictly to a marriage between a man and a ‘woman’, which is consummated on the wedding night, this is no longer the norm. Indeed, my friend tells me that a quick search on the internet will …
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Father
In order to successfully make a point, it’s often necessary to frame it within a story. Storytelling has been used from the time of early cave-dwellers for a number of different purposes. For example, parables in the Bible or Aesop’s Fables are used as forms of instructional, cautionary or morality tales. In Srdan Golubovic’s new …
Glasgow Film Festival Review: Murmur
More than any other time in modern history, people around the world are realising just how important animals are in our lives. Pets play a huge part in improving wellbeing, tackling anxiety and calming nervousness. We’re increasingly living more isolated lifestyles and whilst we might connect with others online, it’s not the same as that …