26th February 2021
My Favourite War is a portrait of life under Soviet rule, and a coming-of-age story for Soviet society. In this intimate autobiographical film, Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen recalls her arduous search for a sense of truth and justice within the stark, repressive world of the Eastern Bloc. Interspersed with archival footage, family photos, interviews, and animation, ...
26th February 2021
In the Shadows leaves the viewer with more questions than answers about its dystopian vision. When I read the synopsis for the “steampunk dystopian film” In the Shadows, I had quite a strong preconception of what it would be like. Thankfully, I was very wrong. I was intrigued by this description, and the film left ...
26th February 2021
Robin Fodor reviews the drama set over the course of one night, filmed during the pandemic. John David Washington, last seen by people who like that sort of thing in Christopher Nolan’s failed attempt to save cinema, Tenet, joins the surname-less Zendaya: they are Malcolm and Marie. Malcolm is a film director, not unlike Malcolm ...
18th February 2021
A collection of poetry that whispers truths we are too scared to hear. What is the effect of distance? When do “they” or “them” become an “us”? How are we connected? When does it all stop? These are the questions that Samantha Walton answers in her inquest of ecological destruction in Bad Moon. In her ...
17th February 2021
Is evermore just folklore part two, or something more? Unlike the wait for this review, Taylor Swift’s new album quickly dropped out of the blue and sent the fans insane last month. This was the shortest period between albums and really fit the weirdness of 2020. Taylor self-admittedly tends to think of albums as phases ...
6th February 2021
Unapologetically sharp and charged with opinion, Sleaford Mods return with Spare Ribs, a record which, despite an attempt to carve an original sound, fails to take chances – and pales in comparison to earlier works. The most immediately appealing aspect of Sleaford Mods’ latest record is its title. Spare Ribs: it summons up some vivid, ...
4th February 2021
Finlay Chalmers reviews the new Apple TV+ animated film. From the moment Wolfwalkers starts, you’re plunged into a luscious forest of colour and natural beauty. This film is the third in the Irish Folklore trilogy by director Tomm Moore, after The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. The film is set in the ...
2nd February 2021
Man’s Search for Meaning by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl tells of the horrors of the Holocaust and by doing so, reflects on the importance of maintaining a degree of hope in the face of adversity. As Covid-19 deprived people of any control of their lives, many of us sought to regain at least some of it ...
27th January 2021
Blues music is rooted in African American culture and experience. Ma Rainey lets you know that. Denzel Washington and George C. Wolfe’s production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom brings August Wilson’s 1982 play of the same title to life. Led by Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, and Glynn Turman, the all-star cast brings the blues to ...
26th January 2021
A couple of weeks on from Scotland’s loss to Ireland, Alexandra Bullard reflects on a mixed tournament for the national team. For as long as I can remember, the Scotland men’s national rugby team have always been branded as underdogs. Our little nation has for decades been on the receiving end of endless jokes and ...
