Before I start this review, I think it’s important that I give a little background context. 1998’s Orphans came at a time when the British film industry was in love with Scotland, following the success of Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave ad, more importantly in terms of its cultural impact, Trainspotting. […]
Reviews
Kiki’s Delivery Service – An expectantly charming Ghibli treat (Review)
Studio Ghibli animations excel at showcasing the hard work of a large group of animators, every film they make is nothing short of wonderful. Their storylines are fascinating, uniquely charming and otherwise happy to plod along at any pace they see fit. They expect the audience to just follow along […]
Being There: A Film of Endings (Review)
Let’s talk about endings. Being There is the kind of film that conjures up a lot of thought about endings, of one kind or another. For a start (can we really have a start when talking of endings? Oh well) it’s a popular misconception that Being There was the final […]
What’s New, Pussycat? – Carry On-Like entry into Woody Allen’s mammoth filmography (Review)
With a talented trio of Peter O’Toole, Peter Sellers and an introduction of Woody Allen, it’s a genuine surprise that What’s New, Pussycat? tanks this badly and this quickly. The 1965 piece pools together an impressive cast of comedy greats and acting legends, yet everyone involved comes off as, at the very least, […]
A Fistful of Dynamite: You Say You Want a Revolution? (Review)
Once upon a time in Paris (on March 22nd, 1968 to be exact) a number of far-left groups comprising of students and artists gathered together to occupy the administration building of Paris Nanterre University to protest against class discrimination and political bureaucracy. The police were subsequently called and the protesters […]
The African Queen: A thrilling ride down a shallow river (Review)
John Huston has swiftly become a fascination of mine. His directing style and visibility in some of cinema’s finest and best-remembered projects has elevated him to a status that kept his direction relevant for the forty years of his career and forty more after he’s passed away. His work on […]
The Fate of Lee Khan (1973) When a Kung-Fu Movie isn’t a “Kung Fu Movie”
Dragon Inn is one of the greatest martial arts films of all time, and it’s follow up from King Hu, A Touch of Zen – one of the genre’s greatest epics. The problem is, how do you follow a film as acclaimed as A Touch of Zen when critics love […]
Moonrise Kingdom: Revel in the artificiality! (Review)
Wes Anderson’s films always have a sense of existing outside of time, in an indefinably old-fashioned present. It makes a perverse sort of sense, then, that when he finally made one set in the 1960s it stood out for not having the Kinks and the Rolling Stones on the soundtrack. […]
The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On: A visceral indictment of war (Review)
Picture this. You’re one of a few surviving members of a World War Two Garrison stationed in New Guinea. It’s Japan in the late ‘80s, and you’ve gotten out bed after a horrific nightmare from the trauma of the war. Guilt, shame, and horror fester your mind: you’ve done something […]
A Good Woman is Hard to Find (2019): But Well Worth Seeking Out (Review)
In a supermarket on a sink estate in Belfast, a young single mother named Sarah is performing the weekly shop with her two small children. In her hand is a shopping list with all the necessities required for the family. However, when they reach the tills, Sarah is mortified to […]