REVIEW: Hail Satan? (2019)
Satanism probably conjures up images of virgin sacrifices, drinking goat blood and other fiendish demonic behaviours. Some of us remember the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the 80s and 90s (more of which later), which bled into popular culture through films such as The ‘Burbs and Dragnet…
REVIEW: Unicorn Store (2019)
After appearing at several film festivals as far back as 2017, Brie Larson’s directorial feature film debut went into purgatory with no sign of release. Fast forward to 2019 and Netflix decided to capitalise on the publicity generated by Larson starring in the huge box…
REVIEW: Fast Color (2019)
From director Julia Hart and written by Hart and her partner Jordan Horowitz (best known for his role in the La La Land Oscar debacle), comes unusual superhero movie Fast Color. Hart’s previous work as a writer-director was Miss Stevens – a fascinating and truthful depiction…
REVIEW: Rafiki (2019) + Interview With Director Wanuri Kahiu
Banned in her home country of Kenya, Wanuri Kahiu has struggled for years to get her lesbian romance Rafiki off the ground. After being successful on the festival circuit, the film is finally getting a limited release in the UK and US. It was the…
SUNDANCE 2019: Sonja – The White Swan
Norwegian director Anne Sewitsky is known by fans of European cinema for her films Sykt Lykkelig and De Nærmeste, the latter of which stars Ine Marie Wilmann. Sewitsky has now re-teamed with Wilmann to tell the story of one of Norway’s most famous stars. An…
SUNDANCE 2019: Judy and Punch
Judy and Punch was the second of three Australian films I saw at Sundance (the other two being The Nightingale and Little Monsters) and has a surprisingly similar subject matter to The Nightingale – a woman seeking revenge against a violent and abusive man. Tonally, however,…
SUNDANCE 2019: The Nightingale
Director Jennifer Kent has gone in a somewhat unexpected direction as a follow up to her cult hit, The Babadook. Mining the uncomfortable corners of her country’s past, Kent has conjured a work full of relentless brutality, which will definitely prove too much for some,…
FINAL GIRLS: Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017)
Very much following in the same dark tradition as Guillermo del Toro, comes another Mexican director – Issa Lopez – who is also combining the very real-life, everyday horrors of a type of war (in this case, drug wars between the Mexican cartels) with fairy…
SUNDANCE 2019: Interview with Anne Sewitsky director of ‘Sonja – The White Swan’
Director of acclaimed Norwegian films Sykt Lykkelig and De Nærmeste, Anne Sewitsky returns to Sundance with her latest work – a biopic of one of Norway’s biggest stars. Sonja Henie was an Olympic ice skater who went to Hollywood and became a movie star. I…
SUNDANCE 2019: The Souvenir
Director of the amazing Unrelated (2007), Archipelago (2010) and Exhibition (2013) (all of which have gone under-the-radar, particularly in the US) Joanna Hogg now returns with the eagerly anticipated The Souvenir Part One. Those familiar with her work will be used to her slow-paced, but…
