To cap off my coverage of London Film Festival I want to spotlight six of my favourite discoveries from this year. There’s nothing quite like sitting down and discovering a new voice, an emerging actor or experiencing a fresh way of challenging perceptions. Mahmood Bakri and Aram Sabbah deliver stunning […]
Jimmy Dean
Documentary Competition (London Film Festival 2024) Feat. Mother Vera, The Shadow Scholars and Seeking Mavis Beacon
For whatever reason, I’ve unfairly neglected the Documentary Competition at London Film Festival. This year, I sort of stumbled upon it. I think the best thing about LFF is that, if you go looking, you’ll always find a good surprise. As I was unable to make it into town most […]
The Headliners (London Film Festival 2024) Feat. Hard Truths, Bird & The End
I love London Film Festival. As soon as the summer rolls around I’m counting down the days until the festival kicks off. My short film V played in the festival in 2017 and being granted a filmmaker’s pass was like finding a golden ticket. We saw over forty films that […]
Michael Powell: Early Works (1931-1944) Discover the Early Works of One of Our Best Ever Filmmakers (Review)
I have previously written the profound impact the films of Powell and Pressburger have had on me. Michael Powell is the filmmaker I most think of most as a magician, using tricks and sleight of hand to create rich worlds and transport his audiences to wondrous places. With their brand […]
Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza (1966) A Melodramatic Yakuza Tragedy (Review)
Radiance Films continue to invest their time and resources into introducing the extraordinary work of Tai Kato to a wider audience. Tokijiro: Lone Yakuza is their fourth release of the under-appreciated genre master. It is staggering to think that this time last year I had never heard of the director […]
Bandits of Orgosolo + The Lost World (1961) Radiance’s Best Release Yet (Review)
I reliably watch around 300 films every year. I am set to fall a long way short of that in 2024. Over the last two months, I’ve found it hard to concentrate as I focused my energy on preparing to move out of my damp flat while chronically ill, opting […]
Misunderstood (1966) Beautiful and genuine Italian Melodrama (Review)
I love the rich history of classic Italian Cinema. I’ve marvelled over the films of Rossellini, De Sica, Antonioni, Pasolini, Visconti and Fellini. Since their inception Radiance Films have been unearthing hidden gems from Italy and shining a light on some of the country’s best under-watched directors, one of which […]
The Foul King (2000) Rediscovering a Song Kang-ho Wrestling Romp (Review)
There was a time in my life when wrestling was more important to me than film or football. Before my discovery of Mike Leigh, or the emergence of Gareth Bale, there was Rob Van Dam. Before The Apartment moved me to tears, or Lucas Moura set me into delirium, there […]
Green Room (2015) N*zi Punks F*ck Off in 4K (Review)
One of the reasons I enjoy writing is because I want to share my love of films with other people. I’ve always taken pride in introducing friends, family, and now strangers, to movies that have changed my life. The reverse is also incredibly special, when someone shares one of their […]
The Roaring Twenties (1939) How Systemic Failure Created a Gangster (Review)
Criterion’s stunning UHD Blu-Ray release of The Roaring Twenties allows audiences to rediscover a film that marked the end of the golden age of gangster films. Made in 1939, long after the success of Little Caesar (1931), Public Enemy (1931), and Scarface (1932), Raoul Walsh’s film is a fascinating, nostalgic […]