There are plenty of iconic anime films that have been released throughout the years. From the fantasy worlds created by visionary Hayao Miyazaki to Mamoru Hosoda’s brilliant coming-of-age stories, anime has always been an excellent medium within film for storytelling. One such pioneer of the medium was the late, great Satoshi Kon whose directorial debut,… Read More Perfect Blue (1997)
A24 have established themselves as mastered of horror over the years and they show no signs of slowing down with the release of X, a film that incorporates elements and homages to traditional slasher films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The film is set in 1970s Texas and follows the cast and crew… Read More X (2022)
I was fortunate enough to cover this year’s Cardiff Animation Festival and was able to watch an array of films (over 100 in fact!). One of the highlights was loundraw’s debut, Summer Ghost which has a non-traditional running time of 40 minutes meaning that it can be considered either a long short film or a… Read More Summer Ghost (2021)
The film that I have personally been most excited about this year is Robert Eggers’ The Northman. Based on the legend of Amleth, the story follows Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) as he vows to avenge his father, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke) who died at the hands of his bastard brother, Fjölnir (Claes Bang), and save his… Read More The Northman (2022)
There are some films that have humble begins and then grow in publicity and popularity unexpectedly. This year’s dark horse is undoubtedly, comedy-drama CODA, which has had a huge awards’ presence, and even been grabbing some unexpected wins. The film follows Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), who is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), and her… Read More CODA (2021)
In recent years, we have seen many franchises emerge with plenty of reboots, prequels and sequels dominating the film industry. A lot of these films tend to provide plenty of nostalgia and familiarity that is enjoyable to watch, but offers nothing new. One such franchise that is reinvented time and time again is DC’s Batman.… Read More The Batman (2022)
One of the most hyped films to come out of 2021 was Denis Villeneuve’s Dune which boasted one of the best casts and a huge budget, incorporating plenty of advanced special effects that have given a new sci-fi franchise room to thrive. Dune is based on the 1965 novel of the same name, written by… Read More Dune (2021)
One of the most critically acclaimed films to come out of 2021 is Paul Thomas Anderson’s newest release, Licorice Pizza. The film follows the unlikely meeting of teenager actor, Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and photographer assistant, Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and the subsequent turbulent relationship that develops between them. Although Gary and Alana have very… Read More Licorice Pizza (2021)
Disney has been on a roll this year and Encanto marks their third animated release (including Pixar) following Raya and the Last Dragon and Luca. Following the traditional format of the animated musical, Encanto is set in a small village in Colombia and follows the magical Madrigal family where each member has a unique gift… Read More Encanto (2021)
Tick, Tick… Boom! is one of many film adaptations inspired by musicals and this one sheds light on the creative process and its struggles of the musical’s writer and subject, Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield). Larson was known for writing the musical Rent which is one of the most popular and loved by people across the… Read More Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)
Smaller Pictures Film 