For a certain kind of person, a new Motern movie is a big event. This very independent outfit, in which a troupe of actors make low-budget movies, usually scrappy horror films that are actually goofy comedies, for the love of creating. At the heart of this is Matt Farley and Charles Roxburgh (the director of … Continue reading Heard She Got Married (Review)
Tag: independent
Have You Seen… The Day He Arrives (2011)?
Welcome to ‘Have You Seen….’ a regular column exploring an interesting film that is worthy of greater attention – for good or for ill. The focus is on the underseen, the undersung or the underrated – or just those films you just need to write about. The focus is analysis more than evaluation so, expect … Continue reading Have You Seen… The Day He Arrives (2011)?
For Maria Ebun Pataki (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Review based on BFI Screening from Film Africa 2020 Festival There is an urgency and clarity of purpose to Damilola Orimogunje's film that makes it defy conventional criticism. This is, formally, a deeply flawed film: it has technical issues with sound; the acting is often substandard; it too often looks like filmed theatre and the … Continue reading For Maria Ebun Pataki (Review) (Film Africa 2020)
Ghost Strata (Review)
Ben Rivers' experimental film begins with the filmmaker being given a tarot reading. This moment is looped back to at the end and foregrounds the film's major themes. On its most basic level, this a filmic scrapbook that chronicles the passing of time: there are twelve chapters, one per month, and each is made up … Continue reading Ghost Strata (Review)
The Other Lamb (Review)
There is a recent trend in horror for making very pretty films in which not much happens. Sometimes, this works, but only if the nothing really happening serves a purpose that the aesthetic further highlights. The Other Lamb looks very pretty, and not much happens in it - or, more accurately, nothing really happens that … Continue reading The Other Lamb (Review)
Relic (Review)
A sublime ending elevates Relic from something unremarkable into something incredibly interesting. Though this final movement is not quite enough to save the film, per se, it does establish it as a very promising debut. In these final movements, Relic fluently speaks the language of horror as a vehicle for articulating nuanced and resonant themes … Continue reading Relic (Review)
Barking Dogs Never Bite (Review)
Thanks to Curzon, Bong Joon-ho's debut feature film (first released in 2000) is now available to watch in the United Kingdom for the first time. Arriving hot on the heels of a deserved Oscar win for Parasite - and the re-issue of Memories of Murder (director Bong's first masterpiece) - British Bong completists have a … Continue reading Barking Dogs Never Bite (Review)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Review)
Though already an interesting filmmaker, Never Rarely Sometimes Always (NRSA) establishes Eliza Hittman as one of the most impressive writer/directors in the business, and as a unique voice making important films. On a narrative level, this is the tale of an under-18 girl from rural Pennsylvania (Autumn (Sidney Flanigan)) who, after an unexpected pregnancy, has … Continue reading Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Review)
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Review)
Off-putting name aside, Dogs Don't Wear Pants (DDWP) is a really impressive movie full of excellent decisions. It is a film of real style - and of some substance - that manages to cleverly negotiate disparate tones while always feeling cohesive. From the beginning, DDWP involves a number of tropes that are often off-putting, or … Continue reading Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Review)
Monos (Review)
As a sensory experience, Monos is exceptional; in fact, it is rare to see a debut feature (Alejandro Landes) that is this assured, bold and visually spellbinding. This Lord of the Flies inflected story of child soldiers left alone with a hostage and a cow on a remote mountaintop (in an unspecified South American location, … Continue reading Monos (Review)
Assorted Opinions 