As of writing, there are people of all ages and walks of life protesting systemic racism on the streets of the United Kingdom. There’s also a pandemic on, with many accusing the Tory government of exacerbating the UK’s horrifying death toll. So to say that “Pride” (2014) might have something to offer the average Brit right now is a bit of an understatement. Continue reading Pride: A queer, socialist call-to-arms for 2020
Call me the worst feminist stereotype you can think of, but I’m glad that female rage and revenge are starting to be a big thing in movies. So you’d think I would be just the audience for “Amulet,” a horror film that’s also the feature directorial debut of actress Romola Garai no less. Alas, while the movie exudes a whole lot of righteous, well-earned anger, without a real focus it’s merely one nonsensical plot twist after another.
Tomaz (Alec Secareanu) is a former soldier whose past traumas have left him homeless. But a chance encounter (or maybe not so chancy) leads him to a rapidly decaying home, where a young woman named Magda (Carla Juri) is caring for her ailing mother. Continue reading Sundance Exclusive Review: Amulet
“Maleficent” still stands out as something of a black sheep within Disney’s recent live-action catalogue. Instead of a simple remake or sequel, the film instead presents a revisionist retelling of Sleeping Beauty from its villain’s point of view whilst also turning the narrative into an allegory for sexual assault and abusive relationships.
The final result was admittedly ambitious but sloppy and ill-conceived (you can read my recent reappraisal of its botched metaphors here), but it did well financially so a sequel was always on the cards. After covering the entirety of the original tale, where exactly Mistress of Evil has to go from there seems a bit nebulous on first thought but, and this is an especially relieving shock to me, the final results are far beyond what anyone would reasonably expect. Continue reading MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL – an Alternative Lens review
From Wicked Witches, to Ice Cold Bitches…This is the ITOL countdown of cinema’s greatest and meanest “Bad Girls” as voted by you! Join us for our countdown from Number 5 to Number 1 in our Part 3! Continue reading Bad Girls: The Greatest Female Villains In Films (Part 3)
In Their Own League 