FIlm Review
Film Review: Mavis!
There are many rich musical traditions which came to prevalence during the 1950s and 1960s but Gospel is not one much celebrated outside of certain circles in America. The Staple Singers came out of this tradition but forged links through the freedom movement, folk, soul and R&B to become one of the most influential groups …
Film Review: Only The Dead
There have been many films about the folly and horror of war. Over the last few years these have tended to focus on the rise of daesh and the continuing ‘war on terror’ in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. War reporters need to tread a careful ethical line, balancing the need to document objectively with the …
Film Review: Nina Forever
Largely driven by the popularity of The Walking Dead, zombies have become big business. There’s been a strong take on the genre in cinemas as well. Whilst Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead (remake) provided popular crowd-pleasers, there’s also been great original twists such as Pride and Prejudice and …
Film Review: In Search Of A Lost Paradise
The Russian expressionist painter, Oscar Rabine, is known best to the anglophone world for being the primary instigator of the infamous Bulldozer Exhibition of 1974. However, it is his late wife, Valentina Kropivnitskaya, who is the subject of this documentary. Framed against her family life, state persecutions and other tribulations, In Search Of A Lost Paradise …
Film Review: Meru
There are a wealth of films around the subject of climbing, mostly focussing on the man’s quest to conquer the peaks. Height is often the main driver, with the vast majority centred around the historical struggle to best Mount Everest. However, the tallest are not always the most difficult to climb. Whilst Sagarmāthā is more …
Film Review: Uzumasa Limelight
As The Artist proved, cinema audiences have a thirst for film nostalgia. The golden days of Hollywood may be long gone but the memories of the great films and film stars continue to prevail within popular culture. The same can be said for Japanese cinema. Whilst the nature of film-making in the Rising Sun may …
Film Review: Sword of the Assassin
When the subject of Asian cinema arises, your thoughts will likely be drawn to the powerhouses of Japan, China, South Korea and Hong Kong. Maybe, even Thailand or Taiwan, but Vietnam is not a country with a rich history in terms of cinematic output. However, whilst most Vietnamese films do not get a release in …
Film Review: Rams
If you’ve read Halldór Laxness’ Independent People you’ll have a good idea of the relationship between Icelandic farmers and their sheep. Fast-forward almost a hundred years and there are still people struggling to eke out a living in the Icelandic hills, exposed to the harshness of the county’s climate. Grímur Hákonarson’s film Rams follows a …
Film Review: Backtrack
After seeing the marketing behind Michael Petroni’s new film Backtrack you could be forgiven for assuming that it’s a horror or thriller. Despite a few early ‘jumps’, Backtrack is more of a creepy psychological drama, with a crime angle thrown in. It’s another impressive example of the films coming out of Australia at the moment. …
Film Review: Innocence of Memories
Orhan Pamuk will be a familiar name to many and is widely regarded as one of the best authors of the last decade. In 2006 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Istanbul in 1952, Pamuk’s life has revolved around the Turkish capital and it has been an integral part of his …