As I expected, my time at the Raindance Film Festival is exposing me to films I would never normally choose to go and see. Not because they aren’t worth seeing but simply because they would never normally have come onto my radar, not being amongst the blockbusters showing at the local multiplex…
Hollow
5 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
In the past couple of years there has been an explosion in the number of “found footage” films. Mostly these are films which look like they have been recorded on a camcorder and discarded after a horrific event of some description…
Fambul Tok
4 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
In my old job I worked with survivors of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda. I was always struck by their dignity, desire to rebuild their lives and the lack of desire for revenge…
Black Pond
3 October 2011 by Leave a Comment
One of the strands at this year’s Raindance Festival is Best of British and I predicted a few weeks ago after the launch that Black Pond would be one of the big talking points of the Festival. I may well still be right, but not for the reasons I thought…
Skinning (Šišanje)
30 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
Last year at Raindance the short Balkan film strand drew both praise and criticism, particularly for the inclusion of A Serbian Film which horrified many viewers with its graphic scenes and distasteful plot. The controversy hasn’t put the Festival off the promotion of Balkan cinema…
Another Earth
28 September 2011 by 2 Comments
Every now and again a film comes along which you know will stay with you for a long time. It doesn’t happen very often. I love movies but in a fun, disposable, forgettable way. When I saw Another Earth I was left with a tingle up and down my spine …
The A-Team
26 September 2011 by
They say that you always remember your first love. I know I certainly do. I was young and impressionable. Easily won over by a handsome man with bags of style. He was older, much older actually. A former soldier…
Armageddon
20 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
We all know about the joys of comfort eating. Feeling a little bit poorly or low and digging into a dirty big slice of cake to make it all better. We’ve all done it and all secretly enjoy it. I’m sure it works with movies and books too. Yesterday morning I twisted my back slightly…
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
16 September 2011 by 2 Comments
When I named my five must-see films for autumn/winter 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was right at the top of the list. The extended clips and discussion with producer Robyn Slovo and screenwriter Peter Straughan at Empire Big Screen really whetted my appetite….
Star Wars: The Complete Saga
9 September 2011 by Leave a Comment
Now that I’ve reviewed all of the Star Wars films individually it’s time to look at the series as a whole. Even though almost everybody has seen the films I tried to keep the reviews as spoiler free as possible…