Tag: Cinema
-
To Kill a Mockingbird.
Remaining loyal to a book is a braver feat than we may automatically presume. Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby is the latest adaptation of a piece of classic American literature and he has been both criticised and commended for his personal take on one of America’s most beloved novels. It seems, these days, many film makers are…
-
Personal Collections.
Today I got round to organising the mountain of films that dominate my bedroom shelves. Sorting out my DVD collection turned out to be as enjoyable as it was frustrating. The mammoth task, that was filtering and reordering my films, has lead to me contemplating about how it is that we present our passion for…
-
Chaplin.
After watching, and thoroughly enjoying, The Kid, I felt it was an appropriate time to watch Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin. This biographical film displays the life of Charlie Chaplin from his difficult childhood, his rise to success to his personal struggles with his work and his women. The film has a rather clichéd format as we join an elderly Charlie…
-
Carrie.
In recent years we have been exposed to countless remakes of horror films. The majority of the horror films that are being churned out seem to be “re-imaginings” of American horror films from the nineteen seventies. Rob Zombie’s dull reworking of John Carpenter’s Halloween has led to the birth of a completely new and separate franchise of the terrifying…
-
Minority and Memory.
Spielberg’s Minority Report contains some of science fiction cinema’s most accurate depictions of future technology. The film’s realistic vision of 2054 emphasises some of the moral questions that the film decides to asks. Precrime, a company dedicated to eliminating murder and violent crime from the streets, use three gifted individuals, named pre-cogs, to predict murders and arrest…
-
A Single Man.
Tom Ford’s A Single Man is swimming with emotion and heartbreak. The wonderful performances, combined with a striking depth of character, brings everything that was wonderful about Christopher Isherwood’s novel to cinema. The beautiful cinematography adds a charm to the film which is perfectly contrasted by the woe and tragedy of the story and the life of…
-
Spring Breakers.
Harmony Korine’s new film has promised to divide audiences from the release of its first teaser trailer. Taking several actresses famous for their sweet, innocent work for America’s Disney Channel and mixing them in with a world of drugs, promiscuity, greed and violence, Spring Breakers creates a darker image of Spring break. It is hard to summarise the film…
-
As You Wish.
Rob Reiner is one of my favourite film directors. His overall body of work boasts some real highlights of modern cinema. This is Spinal Tap remains the most intelligent and hilarious mock-umentary film ever made, with Woody Allen’s Zelig being an honourable runner-up. When Harry Met Sally re-invented the romantic comedy and emphasised the importance of a witty script and complex…
-
BIFF Highlights: 2013
After a splendid few days at The National Media Museum, my time at Bradford’s 19th International Film Festival drew to a close. Having already reviewed several of the events and screenings I attended, my reflections on the festival have already begun. With so much going on at the festival it is tough to identify my…
-
Cannibal Vegetarian.
Not for the faint hearted, Cannibal Vegetarian tells the story of a corrupt gynaecologist whose greed and financial determination drives him to some hideous extremes. From the opening moments of the film, our protagonist, Danko Babic, is set up as a predator and a deviant. In this almost caricature of a villain we see a racist, a misogynist,…
Hannah McHaffie 