Verve Pictures
Film Review: Fadia’s Tree
They say that home is where the heart it. This is not something most Europeans probably contemplate, but if you’re born in many parts of the world this idiom can have very different connotations. Some of us are privileged enough to have a country to call our own for our whole lives, however much it …
Film Review: Citizen Lane
Born in County Cork, Hugh Lane played an intrinsic role in championing the arts in, and of, Ireland. A dealer and collector, he was renowned for having a nose for a bargain and eye for spotting both painting and painter. A man of myriad contradictions, whose generosity knew no bounds but who established a reputation …
Film Review: Outside the City
When Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 it dealt a blow to abbeys, priories and friaries from which they never truly recovered. It also marked one of the greatest changes in land ownership in English history. Although they returned during the 18th century, their numbers never really recovered. Today, whilst there …
Film Review: Phoenix
The teenage years can be tricky as it is. What with school, girls/boys and hormonal changes threatening to take over young alien bodies. With all this going on it’s unsurprising that many adolescents become self-obsessed. However, childhood can come to an abrupt end when there’s no strong parental figure in the picture. This is the …
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 …
DVD Review: Benjamin
Simon Amstell is one of those people who is quintessentially British. He’s a mix of unassuming intelligence, boyish charm and rampant creativity which makes him eminently likable. Known to most as the host of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Popstar, He has been performing as a stand-up since his teens. He’s less well-known as a …
DVD Review: Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle
Whilst the availability of social housing has been diminishing at an alarming rate, the stock that remains becoming increasingly run-down and neglected. Let’s face it, it takes something like the tragedy of Grenfell Tower for most people to stop and listen. Indeed, the left-leaning news outlets have been more concerned with affordable housing; almost entirely …
DVD Review: Blackbird
There’s always been a strong drive in British film making around communities and traditions. This most-frequently revolves around the loss of jobs and traditional industries. However, films such as Brassed Off also highlight that there is much more at stake than merely socio-economic considerations. In Jamie Chambers’ Blackbird, a small Scottish village not only provides …
Film Review: Couple In A Hole
Emotional trauma affects people in different ways, but the unexpected loss of a close family member can easily induce a psychological breakdown. Some people have a complete emotional collapse, some protect themselves by refusing to accept the truth and others simply snap. The latter is more frequently captured in films, often leading to a bloody …
Film Review: Iona
Tales of regret and paying the price for the deadly consequences of those actions taken in haste have graced cinema screens since the inception of motion pictures. We all have regrets and often we’re avoiding, if not running from, something or someone. Something about our roots always seems to pull us back eventually, especially when …