Tag: Drama
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Thanks to Tim Burton’s questionable take on the franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was initially something to be wary of. Successfully reinventing a classic takes astute direction and vision, something Burton’s re-imagining lacked. Luckily, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a reboot rather than a remake. This is a new story that pays great tribute to…
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Korso.
Markus is talented. He is confident in his talents as a basketball player and plans to make a new life for himself in New York. This is a story of imprisonment. Markus wants nothing more than to escape from his home town in Finland but what he will come to discover is just how difficult…
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Uncertain Terms.
“We make bad decisions in love 90% of the time.” These were the words of director Nathan Silver at Edinburgh Film Festival’s Q and A session, following the screening of his latest feature film Uncertain Terms. The director’s words speak volumes and really encapsulate what this moving study of human nature is all about. On the…
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Devil’s Knot.
There are many obstacles standing in the way of Devil’s Knot. Making a film about true events always draws extra attention to the matter of authenticity, accuracy and sincerity. Not only does Devil’s Knot use a historically real situation as the basis of its story, but it all revolves around a murder case that, over twenty years on,…
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Hellion.
Hellion is about many things. It is about love, family, victims of circumstance, addiction, loss, masculinity and crime. Directed by Kat Candler, this is one of the most moving films I’ve seen this year. A coming-of-age tale about the tragedy of loving but being unable to provide, Hellion is an absolute triumph. Set in the broken home of…
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Blue Ruin.
Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin is a story about revenge; pure, aggressive and passionate revenge. The need for revenge runs deep throughout this intense drama that focusses on very little else. Revenge remains the film’s only theme and focus, because that’s all it needs. We first meet the film’s protagonist, Dwight, whilst he takes a bath – a…
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Frank.
There are just too many things that have inspired and influenced Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank so I won’t even begin to go into them. But I will say this: this is not the biography of either Frank Sidebottom or Chris Sievey, although both have had an impact on the film in different ways. When Jon, a slave to…
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The Royal Tenenbaums.
This is possibly Wes Anderson’s most complete and perfect film. Often I find his approach a little too extreme and absurd. I like his films but I find that they sometimes drag on for too long. I couldn’t help but admire the artistry that went into Fantastic Mr. Fox but it drifted so far away from the…
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August: Osage County.
Following a tragic event, the Weston family children, consisting of three sisters, return to the sticky heat of their childhood home, just outside of Oklahoma. The film’s title provides the place and time of this story. The Weston sisters are parented by Beverley and Violet. They have an alcoholic poet for a father and a…
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Blue Is The Warmest Colour.
I have only read a handful of negative reviews of the 2013 Palme d’Or winning Blue Is The Warmest Colour. This french film has had a glorious reception and has remained one of the most discussed and anticipated films of the year. The film tells the story of Adele, a confused and vulnerable student. When we…
Hannah McHaffie 