We all reach a point where the hope and excitement that surrounded our early career fades. This process is not only profoundly uncomfortable but also, downright unfair as the veneer of youth fades. The realisation that life is quite mundane and boring wrapped up in changing friendships and a need for security. These changes are even more pronounced for those of us who …
Romance, belonging and ghosts are a staple of the supernatural genre, from A Ghost Story (2017) to Beetlejuice (1988) and The Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947). The relationship between love, life and death central to our reflections on mortality. With film offering a glimmer of hope that death neither separates nor ends our eternal need for love and belonging. The …
Now and again a horror/comedy comes along that is both intelligent and creative, while equally gore-filled and fun. These movies are quite rare, many struggling to manage the interface between gore, comedy, and social discussion; never quite balancing all three. However, Two Heads Creek is one of those rare gems that shines within the genre. Its gloriously dark script, energetic …
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a staple of British school life, encouraging kids to experience nature in all its glory. At the same time building individual resilience in sweaty, mud lined tents with a secret stash of alcohol. As awards go, its the epitome of Britishness; dumping a group of hormonal teens in the middle of nowhere, while expecting …
It’s hard to believe that Kermit and co have lacked a dedicated TV presence ever since the first and only series of The Muppets on ABC back in 2015. I loved the mockumentary series, but alas its never found a dedicated audience, skirting between kids and adult comedy in a slightly confused manner. But, thankfully the good folk at Disney …
Mention the name Joe Dante, and some of the films that immediately spring to mind include Gremlins. Explorers and Innerspace. However, few people mention his sublime 1993 homage to cinema ‘Matinee’. A film that joyously celebrated the power of the big screen; the end of innocence and final years of monster driven exploitation filmmaking. While taking inspiration from the real-life …
Placing Charles Dickens classic novel David Copperfield into the hands of Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin), may sound rather audacious. But Iannucci’s love of all things Dickens found itself highlighted back in 2012. With the fabulous BBC documentary ‘Armando’s Tale of Charles Dickens‘. In which the writer/director explored Dickens work with contemporary social eye. While equally focussing on the …
Do you remember the long summer holidays away from school at the tender age of 15? For many of us, we now look back at this time through the rose-tinted specs of adulthood. But the truth is these breaks were often painful, disappointing and challenging for both us and our parent/s. Our hormonal confusion and desire for freedom clashing with …
This review is brought to you in partnership with our friends at Vertigo Releasing While the thematic base of Alex Thompson’s debut feature film ‘Saint Frances’ may sit within the familiar territory of thirty-something disillusionment. His film transcends the usual comedy/drama tropes of the subject, by embracing a frank, honest and loving exploration of the female experience. Layering this with …
Despite featuring some of the finest on-screen talents of recent years, the latest film from Woody Allen ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ is a decidedly damp affair. Its narrative combining a mix of 1950s nostalgia, 1980s affluence, and his trademark whimsey alongside a 21st Century backdrop. Ultimately creating a film that feels both disconnected and distant; a relic from …