Film
Blu-Ray Review: Shock Corridor
It has been a long time coming but, in the West at least, mental illness is finally being treated as seriously as physical conditions. The brain is an incredibly complex organ. So labyrinthine that we are still far from understanding how it works. This ‘grey’ area makes mental institutions rich pickings for film-makers. One Flew …
Film Review: Bait
For thousands of years coastal dwellers have relied on fishing to put food on the table and earn a living. Whilst many traditional fishermen have seen their livelihoods destroyed by commercial trawlers, those remaining have practically been wiped out by tough economic conditions and a competitive global marketplace. Fishing villages, if they’re lucky, have sometimes …
Film Review: Memory: The Origins of Alien
Not only is Alien one of the most important post-war sci-fi and horror films, it also contains a scene which will forever live in the minds of cinemagoers. The success of Ridley Scott’s film, and its sequels, ensured its iconography became enshrined within popular culture and celluloid mythology. As with many classic films there’s a …
Film Review: Feedback
In a pattern which has been repeated time and again, over decades and centuries, toxic masculinity is a continuing scourge on our society. It’s only now coming to light, for some men at least, the true cost of this pattern of behaviour and abuse. One exacerbated most recently by the ‘laddish’ culture of the ‘90s …
Blu-Ray Review: The Ear
Living under an oppressive regime essentially means spending your life in a constant state of anxiety and trepidation. Those citizens residing in communist countries during the Cold War faced a constant barrage of propaganda and indoctrination. You never knew who was listening. Could never be at ease. Friends and neighbours would inform on each other. …
Blu-ray Review: Do The Right Thing
Spike Lee is one of the most powerful political voices in black American film-making. During the late 1980s and early 1990s he released a string of films which either challenged or amused. Often both. The likes of Malcolm X, She’s Gotta Have It, Mo’ Better Blues and Jungle Fever made him a household name. However, …
DVD Review: Pond Life
British films tend to play up to stereotypes. Whether that’s the cheeky Cockney, comedy Celt or slimy spoilt public-school boy. This trend is often at its basest when it comes to regional variations. As a Yorkshireman, I feel the representation of my county on the big screen is usually dubious, at best. If we’re not …
Film Review: Neither Wolf Nor Dog
In a story which has repeated itself around the world, when countries are first colonised by ‘Conquistadors’ the indigenous populations usually end up faring badly. America is a case in point. Whether by intention or accident, most of the Native American populations were decimated by European invaders. Those remaining have been gradually forced off their …
Film Review: Freaks
The current rise in populism goes to show that as a society we are inherently suspicious of outsiders or people who are different from ourselves. This prejudice is often determined by appearance but sometimes it cuts much deeper. It’s a subject extensively tackled by superhero comics and genre cinema over the years. In Zach Lipovsky …
Film Review: Transit
The refugee crisis has captured the imagination of many film-makers from around the world. Most directors have concentrated on the migrants themselves. Their plight, which has received extensive coverage across news channels and media outlets, has formed the basis of countless narrative and non-fiction films. However, the best way to tackle and issue isn’t always …