The true story Wild opens with the protagonist Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) off-screen, panting in pain. She takes off her hiking boot to find her sock stained red: her toenail is hanging off. As we witness […]
A Most Violent Year reflects an undercurrent of cold desperation
2014 may well be remembered as the year that the spirit of 1970s suspense cinema returned to Hollywood. In recent months Nightcrawler, Whiplash and The Drop have directly evoked this era and A Most Violent […]
Timbuktu engenders defiance in the face of injustice
Timbuktu, a film by French Mauritius director Abderrahmane Sissako, depicts the ten month occupation of the town in Mali, West Africa by Islamic militants. They announce their unjust and irrational rules through rusty loudspeakers driving […]
Not Another Teen Movie: an interview with the team behind Beyond Clueless
It’s hard to find any member of Generation Y who didn’t grow up with the ‘teen movie’. From the legendary films of John Hughes to modern classics such as Mean Girls and Eurotrip, it’s a […]
How influential have the ideas of Blade Runner been since its original release?
Blade Runner may well be the most influential flop of all time – studio meddling with the initial cut resulted in a compromised picture that attempted to offset its glacial philosophizing by inserting a jarring voiceover from […]
Reframing Distaster brings people from across the globe to discuss rebuilding of lives
We’ve all done it; watched the news reports, read the stories and shaken our heads – ‘those poor people’ whose lives are ripped apart when disaster strikes. We may all read the news, hold bake […]
The most wonderful time of the year – what makes a Christmas classic?
It’s that time of year again – the fairy lights are on, the mulled wine is flowing, and its finally acceptable to start blasting out Christmassy tunes before that 9am lecture. The festivities are getting […]
Vessel: the film about the abortion ship
The right to have a safe abortion, to have control over what happens to your body as a woman, is something most of us feel to be within our reach in the UK, but Vessel […]
Kajaki is a film everyone should see
With the recent centenary, the gravity of the First World War has been impressed on all of us. The poppies at the Tower of London, the war poetry and history lessons have all contributed to […]
Mr Turner may only be for those who are familiar with Mike Leigh’s films
Mike Leigh’s latest film has been subject to much critical acclaim; however, Mr Turner may only be for those who wish to experience life where time seems to freeze. Depicting the last twenty five years […]
Leeds International Film Festival 2014 roundup
For the past two weeks Leeds International Film Festival has taken over cinema screens in Leeds, delivering the very best in new British and foreign films to the masses. With a programme comprised of over […]
Concerning Violence has a message of great importance
Concerning Violence is a sobering, thoughtful and ultimately harrowing documentary about colonialism and violence directed towards colonial regimes by rebel groups around Africa, using footage from Angola, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Liberia, and more African nations […]