Sundance Review: Human Factors
Since the rise of the first great civilisation in Mesopotamia, there has probably never been a time in human history where we’ve been so disconnected. While we might now have friends scattered around the world, our busy work schedules and online lifestyles can lead to families becoming virtual strangers. Family units can often be more …
Sundance Review: In the Same Breath
2020 was the most difficult year, around the world, in post-war history. 2021 seems set to rival it, but with the approval of several vaccines at least there’s now a light at the end of a very long tunnel. Whilst it’s not over yet, thoughts have turned to the handling of the pandemic. With the …
Film Review: Mirai
There’s nothing that can prepare you for having children. Whilst a firstborn is a brand-new and exciting experience for everyone involved, the second child can prove to be a trickier proposition. For the parent(s), there’s the prospect of having to now juggle caring responsibilities for two young ones with everything else. Then there’s the elder …
Sundance Review: Censor
The rise of the video nasty created a moral panic across the UK in the early 1980s. These low-budget films were characterised by their violent and bloody content. However, due to a loophole in the law, they escaped the ever-vigilant gaze of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). After a public outcry, this omission …
IFFR Review: Gritt
Art is highly responsive to events in the wider world. In many ways, it acts as a reflection and critique of the socio-political state of the environment in which it is created. Artists use the only weapon they have, their art, as a means of protest. This spans the spectrum of the discipline from painting …
Film Review: The Capote Tapes
Truman Capote is one of those authors whose exuberant personality and celebrity antics overshadowed his body of work. The American writer and playwright first came to prominence for his short stories, notably Miriam, but its his ‘non-fiction’ In Cold Blood and the delicious prose of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which made him famous. The latter introduced …
Film Review: The Queen of Black Magic
At the end of last century, horror cinema had lost its mojo. After the golden age of the 1980s and the rise of big franchises, the next decade was a damp squib. However, the twenty-first century has seen a huge resurgence, initially sparked by Japanese and South Korean films. In recent years, Indonesia has shown …
Film Review: Synchronic
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are two of the most exciting voices in independent horror cinema. Beginning with 2012’s Resolution and followed by the brilliant Spring and The Endless, they’ve created cinema which is not only thoughtful, intelligent and innovative, but spans a number of genres. They have done much of the heavy lifting, on …
IFFR 2021 Preview
The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) has firmly established itself as one of the most exciting and ambitious dates in the European festival calendar. Now in its 50th incarnation, it has amassed a reputation for showcasing the most exciting and cutting-edge filmmaking from across the world. This year’s event takes place in two parts. In …
Film Review: Assassins
Whilst there remain a few secretive regimes around the world, none are quite as covert or fascinating as North Korea. Since the end of the Korean War, its borders have essentially been closed. Whilst we’re only afforded slivers of information from defectors or visitors, it’s clear that the Kim Family’s cult of personality, alongside the …