By Stephen Palmer Last year fellow League member Caz (@SheSpoiledIt) and I got to look at some films that were being shown as part of the inaugural Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh, a wonderful event that shone the light on some real unseen gems of 20th and 21st Century Taiwanese film. Because of the human malware situation, it was operated online, and gave the pair of … Continue reading A Taste of the Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh 2021
As Art Cullen writes in one of his editorials, “Tyranny prevails wherever the press is not free.”
Continue reading Storm Lake: SIFF DocFest 2021 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 116 minutes Director: Edgar Wright Writers: Edgar Wright & Krysty Wilson-Cairns Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Michael Ajao, Diana Rigg By Calum Cooper A prominent song in Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” (2021) is Petula Clark’s “Downtown” from 1964. The song suggests that if one is lonely or sad then a trip into the city – with … Continue reading Last Night in Soho: LFF2021 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 137 minutes Director: Stephen Chbosky Writer: Steven Levenson Based on: “Dear Evan Hansen” (2015) by Steven Levenson, Benji Pasek & Justin Paul Stars: Ben Platt, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Nik Dodani, Danny Pino, Colton Ryan By Calum Cooper Dear Calum Cooper, Today’s film was… an interesting one. It’s only been out a short while but it’s made quite … Continue reading Dear Evan Hansen: Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 91 minutes Director: Natalie Morales Writers: Natalie Morales & Mark Duplass Stars: Natalie Morales, Mark Duplass By Calum Cooper Natalie Morales’ “Language Lessons” (2021) is a great example of a simple concept executed wonderfully. Its choice of storytelling – a computer screen film akin to “Unfriended” (2015) or “Searching” (2018) – is one that I imagine is only going to become more … Continue reading Language Lessons: LFF2021 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 111 minutes Director: Pablo Larrain Writer: Steven Knight Stars: Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris, Sally Hawkins By Calum Cooper Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer” (2021) is so much more than just another biopic. In fact it feels a lot closer to something like Oliver Assayas’s “Personal Shopper” (2016) or even Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980). Utilising elements of psychological thrillers as well … Continue reading Spencer: LFF2021 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 131 minutes Director: Jeymes Samuel Writers: Jeymes Samuel & Boaz Yakin Stars: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole, Damon Wayons Jr By Calum Cooper During the Opening Gala for this year’s London Film Festival, the cast and crew of “The Harder They Fall” (2021) discussed the importance of … Continue reading The Harder They Fall: LFF2021 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 122 minutes Director: Mamoru Hosoda Writer: Mamoru Hosoda Stars: Kaho Nakamura, Takeru Satoh, Ryo Narita, Shota Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, Lilas Ikuta, Koji Yakusho By Calum Cooper While many would declare Makoto Shinkai the next Miyazaki of Japanese animation, I believe there’s an argument to be made for Mamoru Hosoda. Since breaking away from franchises like “Digimon” (1997-) and “One Piece” (1997-) to … Continue reading Belle: LFF2021 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 93 minutes Writer/Director: Kate Dolan Actors: Hazel Doupe, Carolyn Bracken By Caz Armstrong This low budget Irish horror was written and directed by Kate Dolan. It centres around mental illness, family ties, and the paranormal to bring us a drama which is more atmospheric than scary. Char (Hazel Doupe) is quiet, intelligent, trying to look after her mum and grandma at home … Continue reading You Are Not My Mother: TIFF21 Review
Year: 2021 Runtime: 90 minutes Directors: Phil Grabsky, Shoaib Sharifi by Alexandra Petrache “My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan” (2021) was filmed over two decades- we follow Mir Hussein from the age of seven, when he was encountered by Phil Grabsky, a British documentary maker (“I, Caesar: The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire (1997), “In Search of Mozart”(2006)). Fascinated with … Continue reading Review: My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan
In Their Own League 