FIlm Review
Film Review: The Diary of a Teenage Girl
In this social media age keeping a diary may be a rare occurrence, but back before the emergence of the internet and fruit-based products it served as an invaluable antidote to loneliness. In Marielle Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Minnie writes and records her anxieties, worrying about her burgeoning sexuality and transition from …
Film Review: God Loves The Fighter
Trinidad, and most of the Caribbean, is often portrayed as a kind of heaven on earth full of sun, rum and sandy beaches. The other side of the country, the one the tourists never see, is largely kept away from prying Western eyes. In Damian Marcano debut feature, God Loves The Fighter, he takes us …
Film Review: Unity
Shaun Monson’s film Earthlings was an exposé into the horrendous animal rights violations taking place in the food industry around the world. It had a point (vegans = good/non-vegans = evil). Whilst it was in many senses a propaganda film it at least highlighted an issue and made a point. Unity, his new film, is …
Sheffield Doc/Fest Review: A Young Patriot
Until recently China has been a firmly closed door to those of us in the West. Whilst the Administration’s new openness towards business and trade has lead to it becoming one of the most powerful economies in the world, not everyone is happy about the change. Zhao Chantong is a young patriot who rails against …
Film Review: The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?
The history of filmmaking is littered with what ifs. What if Tom Selleck played Indiana Jones? What if Sylvester Stallone was cast as Hans Solo? The greatest one perhaps is: What if Nicolas Cage was Superman? The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? tracks the story of the pre-production of Tim Burton’s take on the …
EIFF Review: Above and Below
Las Vegas is one of the most iconic cities in the world. For me, it represents everything that’s wrong with America. Whilst The Strip is full luxury hotels and tourists with money to gamble, we rarely see the flipside. What happens to those living in the city who fall through the cracks? Whilst the city …
EIFF Review: Welcome to Me
Kristen Wiig is destined to have a huge year. Along with The Diary of a Teenage Girl, her leading role in the brilliant Welcome To Me cements her place as one of the funniest actors working in Hollywood today. Viig is the glue which holds the film together, and her spellbinding performance ensures that a …
Film Review: The Wonders
The Wonders, the beautiful new film from Alice Rohrwacher, derives its power and majesty from a beautiful simplicity. In a world where cinema audiences increasingly demand to be emotionally jolted, it never goes further than a raised voice. The Wonders signifies change, not only as a coming of age film but also the decline of …
Film Review: The Salt of the Earth
Beautiful, harrowing, traumatising and uplifting, the new Wim Wenders film, The Salt of the Earth, only really deals in extreme emotions. The Oscar nominated documentary focusses on famous social and environmental photographer, Sebastião Salgado. Co-directed with Sebastião’s son, Juliano, Wenders’ reverence for his subject is clear, but so is the sheer beauty and horrific power …
Film Review: The Roy Andersson Collection
Roy Andersson is a rather unique film director even for a country renowned producing brilliant and unconventional filmmaking. His career in media has mostly been in commercials and in over five decades he has only made four films. However, it’s a case of quality over quantity, winning numerous awards for his output. The Roy Andersson …