Film

Review by Ellery Nick @Ellery__Nick Brendon Gleeson plays Thomas Nickerson, last survivor of a doomed whaling voyage. He sets Ben Whishaw on his knee to recount his boyhood adventures and unburden himself of a dark secret. They occupy a spot lit space on the periphery of director Ron Howard’s story, which is set many years in the past. Whishaw is Herman Melville, a yet-to-be famous novelist who is consumed by talk of whales and sets about pumping Nickerson for the...

By Leslie Byron Pitt @Afrofilmviewer It’s often said that you don’t watch porn for its plot. The same can certainly be said for Gaspar Noe’s indulgent Love. For all it’s on screen ejaculation and 3D Penises thrusting out at the audience, Noe cannot hide that this is a tediously overlong piece with an under baked plot. While Love is certainly a more sensitive and personal film in comparison to previous features (I Stand Alone (1998), Irréversible (2002), Enter the Void...

Reviewed by Miranda Schiller @mirandadadada Hector (Peter Mullan) is the story of an elderly homeless man's journey through Britain on his annual pilgrimage to a Christmas shelter. In classic British social realist style, it sheds light on an invisible part of society and the reality of living on the streets.   Director Jake Gavin brings a photographer's eye to his first feature film: Visually well composed and following a natural, flowing rhythm, it concentrates mainly on the daily life of...

By Leslie Pitt @Afrofilmviewer A broad and sometimes worrying documentary, Chemsex, produced by Vice depicts a destructive world of gay sex and illegal drug taking which as muddied the waters of sexual health and well-being within the gay community. Spending a comprehensive amount of time with a varied group of gay men centred in London, William Fairman and Max Gogarty’s documentary delves into the sex lives of these young men, looking at aspects of modern gay life which may provide...

John Sizzle interviewed by Emma Silverthorn @HouseOf_Gazelle Back in October director Colin Rothbart's Dressed As A Girl was released into cinemas, showcasing the vibrant drag scene of East London, tagged as the British version of Paris is Burning, Dressed As A Girl a decidedly niche sounding film ended up being a surprise hit praised by Sight and Sound magazine, The Guardian and of course us. I was lucky enough to interview my favorite of the films personae John Sizzle a...

By Ellery Nick @Ellery__Nick Whilst holidaying with his so embarrassing parents, hip hop loving Radical Miracle seeks the teachings of a reclusive loner to help him take down a pair of local toughs. They’ve been making moves on Rad’s dream girl Stacy Summers and fronting at his pal Teddy Fryy. Together they all find friendship, love and courage over an amusement arcade’s ping pong table. Which sounds pretty familiar. Perhaps not ping pong, or hip hop, but we know this...

Review by Leslie Byron Pitt @Afrofilmviewer Saeed Taji Farouky and Michael McEvoy’s documentary details the Afghan Army’s dealings with the Taliban once full security responsibility was transferred over to the Afghan government. Their military involvement was of course spurred on by the tragic events of 9/11. From one perspective, it’s easy to believe that once the western troops had withdrawn, the fighting had ceased. Out of sight, out of mind. Tell Spring Not to Come This Year informs us of...

by Miranda Hazrati @mirandahazrati Once the preserve of the art-house crowd, in recent years foreign films have begun to reach a much wider audience, reflecting the increasingly multi-cultural society we live in. As viewers discover the cinematic delights that lie beyond the subtitles, foreign language films have crossed over from niche to mainstream popularity with films like ‘Amélie’ taking on Hollywood blockbusters at the boxoffice. 1. Cinema Paradiso Ironically this beautifully crafted film by young, unknown Italian director Guiseppe Tournatore...

Dawn O’Donnell was a convent girl who became a professional ice skater, travelled the world and then landed up in 1950s Australia, a penniless lesbian. By the time of her death in 2007, she had stormed through Sydney’s gay underworld and built herself an empire of bars, clubs, steam rooms, sex shops and drag shows, inspiring The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. This fascinating documentary explores the mythology (was she a mobster? an arsonist? a murderer?) and life...