Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is ugly, prosaic, and dull, pandering to an audience willing to be spoon-fed lines that they once recognised and moves as gracefully as its geriatric lead.
Category Archives: Features
Sick of Myself & social media on film
The dangers of social media have spawned a slate of horror films over the last decade, but SICK OF MYSELF breaks new ground because it’s also a fascinating portrayal of addiction, in this case to fame.
Charlotte Regan & Scrapper
Connor Lightobody talks to Charlotte Regan about Scrapper at EIFF 2023.
Cinema Will Live Forever or Die Trying
Reports of cinema’s death are greatly exaggerated, but the attack on the ‘big screen experience’ is coming from inside the building. As the focus on films continues to dwindle, and more and more desperate attempts are made to augment a diminished core experience, cinemagoing increasingly resembles an embodiment of a famous Groucho Marx quote: “I intend to live forever, or die trying.”
Glasgow Short Film Festival 2023
Associate Editor Simon Bowie reflects on the 2023 edition of Glasgow Short Film Festival, and its themes of machine learning, ‘weak’ artificial intelligence, and taking control of your own life or the tools you use.
Blue Jean and media-reinforced heteronormativity
There is a central idea between the dramatic unfoldings of BLUE JEAN: internalised homophobia triggers a fight or flight response. Walter Bradford Cannon’s famous ‘fight or flight’ theory, otherwise known as Acute Stress Response, is referenced early in Georgia Oakley’s outstanding feature debut. In BLUE JEAN, the stress Oakley’s Geordie protagonist Jean responds to is that of Margaret Thatcher’s homophobic amendment to British Law: Section 28.
Drive at 10: Endurance of the Western
Following just over a decade since its initial release, DRIVE’s cult status continues thanks to its laconic dialogue, striking visuals and pulsing electronic soundtrack. Perhaps the key ingredient to its success, however, lies in its appeal as a Western.
Open City Documentary Festival 2021
Though the big tent film festivals are the ones that hoover up the most attention, discussion, and coverage, it’s the specialist festivals that harbour the best surprises. Marc Nelson on Open City Docs 2021.
Why mumblecore’s intimate style is a unique fit for today’s Netflix
Matt Farr looks at why mumblecore is the ideal genre for Netflix, and how the streaming giant’s understanding of what best suits their platform is evolving.
Why You Watched Contagion and the Virtues of Happy-Sad Movies
Ewan Shand mulls over why so many people flocked to CONTAGION at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, potential reasons for these anti-escapist viewing urges, and the simple respite that movies can offer us.