Film

By Jim Mackney Alfred Hitchcock, born in Leytonstone on the 13th of August 1899, came to be known as the “Master of Suspense” and was a true filmmaking auteur. He is known for a distinct visual style now known as "Hitchcockian" where the camera mimics a person’s gaze, forcing the audience to undertake a form of voyeurism, and for using the narrative principle of a MacGuffin; a plot device in the form of a goal, desired object, or other motivator that...

Many of us, including myself, have visited tribal villages while on holiday to an African country. It is a fairly normal activity and the kind of display that opens I Am Not a Witch. So called witches are penned within a primitive Zambian settlement and are tied to ribbons to prevent them from leaving, while a guide tells tourists about their customs and beliefs. Elsewhere a young girl called Shula (Maggie Mulubwa) is blamed for suspicious activity and is accused...

On the surface The Snowman looks like one of those films that could only be good. With an acclaimed director, a strong cast, interesting source material, and even Martin Scorsese in an executive producer role, what could possibly go wrong? Based on the novel by Jo Nesbø of the same name, the film follows detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) as he investigates the disappearance of a woman whose scarf is found wrapped around a sinister-looking snowman near her home. He...

By Michael McNulty Alan Clarke is a name not heard often enough.  Perhaps this is due to the fact that of his filmic output only two were theatrical releases.  Clarke instead made a name for himself producing teleplays for the British small screen.  But, whilst the screen may have been small, Clarke’s films certainly were not.  They are some of the most radical, ferociously intense and scathingly honest ever to be broadcast on television.  From Scum to The Firm, so...

A-list star George Clooney hit back at Donald Trump and his claims that "coastal elites" look down upon the rest of the US. Clooney, being a Hollywood actor, would fall under Trump's catch all phrase. However, in an interview with the Daily Beast recently, while promoting his new film "Suburbicon" he didn't pull any punches as he replied to the President's incendiary comments. He said... "Here’s the thing: I grew up in Kentucky. I sold insurance door-to-door. I sold ladies’...

By Michael McNulty Boy, Taika Waititi’s sophomore feature, before collaboration with Jermaine Clement on What We Do in the Shadows secured him as co-creator of the best vampire mockumentary of all time and last year’s success with Hunt for the Wilderpeople put him at the helm of Marvel’s latest Thor instalment, is a coming of age story as playful and funny as it is tender and sad. Set in the tribal lands of the Te Whanau-A-Apanui, in the Bay of...

From the outset it is clear that The Ritual has ambitions to be more than just another tired and predictable horror film. Following the death of their friend Robert (Paul Reid), a group of university friends, now in their early thirties, forgo the traditional boys holiday and instead go on a hiking trip to Sweden as their late friend had suggested. Luke (Rafe Spall), who was present when Robert was killed, is still troubled by guilt and has recurring nightmares...

By Jim Mackney “Blade Runner 2049” is directed by “Arrival” director, Denis Villeneuve and executively produced by original Blade Runner director, Ridley Scott. The sequel takes place 30 years after the previous film and continues along the same existential lines; questioning the characters position in the world and what it means to be alive. There was a moment in the film when I realised there had been very few ‘set pieces’. This isn’t in any way intended as criticism. In fact...

By Jim Mackney A satire following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, adapted by Armando Iannucci, David Schneider and Ian Martin from the French graphic novel series by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin. It doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs and it isn't. In truth the film like the finest satirical films, has a jet-black heart that stinks to high heaven like a corpse that has been left out in the sun. None of the characters have redeemable...