FIlm Review
Film Review: The Wild Pear Tree
There are very few living film-makers who can hold a light to Nuri Bilge Ceylan when it comes to making beautiful and poetic pieces of cinema. His paints lavish tapestries, capturing the ennui and existential crises of modern human life. His last two films, Winter Sleep and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, are amongst …
Film Review: The Judge
Being a woman in the modern world is difficult as it is but to try and live your life in a Muslim country, dominated by tradition and patriarchal religious values, must be extremely taxing. In the case of Palestine, there’s the extra complicating factor of living under Israeli oppression. Imagine, under all these circumstances, being …
Film Review: The Price of Everything
Whilst the debate about what constitutes art rumbles inexorably on, what it means to be an artist has undeniably changed in our contemporary materialistic world. Although artists have always had patrons, the relationship between art, money and collectors has undoubtedly shifted. Today, art has become a commodity. To be bought, sold and invested in. Pieces …
Film Review: The Workshop
Anyone reaching adulthood in 2018 finds themselves in a strange and scary place. The world has been raped and pillaged by previous generations. Environment collapse, rampant capitalism, severe inequalities, racial tensions, high unemployment, fake news, online bullying – the list is endless. Many find themselves with limited job prospects and little chance of ever owning …
Film Review: Waru
To the outside world, New Zealand is often personified by its breathtakingly beautiful natural features; conjured up so majestically by Peter Jackson in his Lord of the Rings films. However, in contrast to its Antipodean neighbour, very little of Kiwi society is ever shown outside of its borders. This is especially the case when it …
Film Review: The Other Side of Everything
Yugoslavia, or more pertinently, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, was established as a central European communist ideal in 1945. Comprising Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro, it was a socialist federation which distanced itself from the USSR to its east and pursued a policy of neutrality. As with any utopian construct, …
DVD Review: Nancy
There can be no greater tragedy which can befall parents than the loss of a child. I can’t even begin to comprehend the emotional toll that must take, how you can ever begin to deal with the grief or move on with your life. However, when a son or daughter disappears or is kidnapped it …
Film Review: Black Mother
There are many types of documentaries out there. Some are heavily reliant on archive footage to tell a story whilst others have the benefit of having the central protagonist on hand to spill the beans. A few brave souls go a step further and create something which sits somewhere betwixt film and art. The ‘Qatsi’ …
Film Review: Possum
Matthew Holness is one of the great enigmas of British comedy. After being nominated for the Perrier Award at Edinburgh Fringe two years on the bounce, he brought his most famous creation to Channel 4 Television. Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace remains one of the most surreal and unique comedies Britain has ever produced. Then, he seemed …
LFF Review: The Guilty
Nowadays, most thrillers you see on the big screen have eye-boggling budgets, multiple action set-pieces and often big dollops of CGI. However, tension isn’t something that can be merely bought. It relies on a cleverly-written script, tight direction and actors who have the ability to keep you in the moment. Films like 12 Angry Men, …