Tag: film
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Alien: Covenant.
Alien is undoubtedly a near-perfect film which continues to dazzle and impress me each time I return to it. Ridley Scott’s bold aesthetic choices and simplistic approach to both the film’s story and visuals results in something altogether cinematically extraordinary. Although many believe an argument can be made for James Cameron’s Aliens, I see little greatness…
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Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017: 5 Must See Films.
In just a matter of weeks, the world’s third largest Documentary Film Festival returns to Sheffield for its 24th year. From Friday 9th to Wednesday 14th June, Doc/Fest will take place across the city with a diverse programme of films, public talks, industry sessions, new technologies and virtual reality exhibitions and late night parties. From…
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All This Panic.
Shot over three years, Jenny Gage’s All This Panic is a monumental achievement; a glorious meditation on the awkward and undefined transition between childhood and adulthood. Focussing on the changing lives of a small handful of Brooklyn girls, it is a heartbreakingly nostalgic documentary, which expertly captures those bizarre, minor, authentic details that define the…
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Mulholland Drive.
The first time I saw Mulholland Drive was on a dim laptop screen in the back of a caravan. Even in this least cinematic of locations I found myself intoxicated by David Lynch’s chaotic meditation on the putrid nature of Hollywood. This weekend I finally saw it for the second time on a much larger screen as…
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I Am Not Your Negro.
The unfinished memoirs of critic and writer James Baldwin are brought to life by the voice of Samuel L. Jackson in Raoul Peck’s astonishing I Am Not Your Negro. A striking film essay that divulges Baldwin’s thoughts and criticism of the historical treatment of African-Americans during the fifties and sixties, this is a truly riveting…
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Free Fire.
Ben Wheatley’s back catalogue is rich in style and substance, from the dark horror and humour of Sightseers to the grit and claustrophobia of Down Terrace to the suspense and ultimate chaos of Kill List to the artistic hypnosis of the triumphant A Field in England. Despite being unconvinced by High Rise, I couldn’t help but marvel at its textured layers of satirical…
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Raw.
It’s always special to uncover a new horror film which turns the genre on its head. In recent years I’ve been delighted by the nostalgic tones of It Follows and the crafty creeps of The Babadook and have come to expect just one or two of these treats a year. What a delight it is then…
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Personal Shopper.
Olivier Assayas’ desperately flawed Personal Shopper is undoubtedly my least favourite film of the year so far. It has a script so stale you could snap it over your knee and an array of equally wooden performances to match. Kristen Stewart is at the heart of all the chaos. Having successfully broken away from the…
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Get Out.
Jordan Peele’s striking debut is a near perfect, satirical thriller. A chilling and enticing story which plays on American racial dynamics, Get Out is a smart, unique, mainstream cinema experience – a rare delight. In a theatrical world dominated by sequels and remakes, original storytelling is becoming more and more of a precious treat. Films…
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Elle.
From Starship Troopers to Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven has always been a provocative boundary pusher. He’s a Director who’s used satirical cinema to challenge his audience and has always provoked a reaction. His back-catalogue is a chaotic and versatile bag of contradictions and in many ways Elle is no different. When Michelle, the successful co-founder of…
Hannah McHaffie 