Mere minutes into Lynne RamseyÔÇÖs You Were Never Really Here, you are completely aware that this is a violent, difficult film. This is a film very much concerned with death, trauma and an uneasy mental state. Joe, (Joaquin Phoenix) a troubled gun for hire, traverses the grimy underbelly of New York (├á la Taxi Driver) to rescue a missing teenage girl from a ring of … Continue reading Review: You Were Never Really Here
The Greatest Showman follows the crazy imagination of American businessman, politician and importantly, a showman. The box office success celebrates PT Barnum and his show business through a whirlwind of music, dancing and sensation. Quench contributors wrote their thoughts… Right from its foot-stomping opening number, The Greatest Showman is a riot of colour, charm and razzmatazz, that cements Hugh JackmanÔÇÖs status as one of the … Continue reading Review: The Greatest Showman
Black Panther has set world records, smashed the box office and started a cultural phenomenon. We asked Quench contributors to tell us their thoughts too… Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film follows TÔÇÖChalla (Chadwick Boseman) as he takes his place as king of Wakanda following the death of his father. T’ChallaÔÇÖs rule is not an easy one, however, as he faces discontentment in the form … Continue reading Review: Black Panther
The Wales One World festival celebrates eclectic worldwide cinema and has been since 2001. This rich selection of film, adventures across Welsh cinemas every March and aims to bring people together in the reflection of the wonders of moving pictures from around the world. WoW films prioritise the echoing of the ways of our world and the ways in which we ultimately live in – … Continue reading WoW Festival Review: Mary and the Witch’s Flower
A light-hearted romantic comedy is as essential to adolescent life as heartbreak and rebellion. Yet, for years, the only romcoms found in the mainstream were dominated by straight characters and their stories. From the classics, such as ÔÇÿWhen Harry Met SallyÔÇÖ to the modern features, like ÔÇÿLove and Other DrugsÔÇÖ, the number of romcoms out there with a heterosexual romance at their center are too … Continue reading BFI Flare 2018: Love, Simon
A story as foreign in location as it is in concept, Pop Aye relates the journey of a disillusioned Thai architect who one day while strolling the streets of Bangkok, purchases an elephant he┬árecognised from his childhood. Distressed by the demolition of his lifeÔÇÖs architectural work in a shopping mall redevelopment and by the distance shown by his wife, Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukro) sets off on … Continue reading NIFF 2018: Pop Aye
Things got up and running on the second day of Newcastle International Film Festival with a matinee screening of the Oscar-winning short film The Silent Child, and an enlightening Q&A with associate producer Julie Foy. IÔÇÖm certain the extended queue outside the Cineworld screen was buzzing with excitement, although you couldnÔÇÖt hear it as most of the audience were communicating their excitement (I hope) through … Continue reading NIFF 2018: The Silent Child screening and Q&A with Julie Foy
BFI Flare is an event that celebrates and showcases the best of LGBTQ+ cinema every year without fail and is one which has grown exponentially in recent years. Since its establishment thirty-two years ago, BFI Flare has shown some of the greatest LGBTQ+ films of modern times, including ÔÇÿMoonlightÔÇÖ, ÔÇÿCarolÔÇÖ, and the lesser known gems such as ÔÇÿLovesongÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿThe PassÔÇÖ. Year upon year, Flare … Continue reading What is BFI Flare 2018?
Stories of the AIDS epidemic have been told through film before, be it through Tom HanksÔÇÖ meek, wronged lawyer in Philadelphia, or the raucous group of bohemians at the centre of Rent. In some cases, such as Philadelphia, the subject has been tackled well; handled with true care and made in order to encourage awareness and understanding of the impact that the disease had on … Continue reading BFI Flare 2018: 120 Beats per Minute
Newcastle at the moment isnÔÇÖt quite a city known for its film moments. Sure there have been occasions; Transformers filmed some blockbuster-style action on Grey Street last year, I, Daniel Blake gave a harrowing account of the UKÔÇÖs benefits system, but otherwise, a Northern representation is lacking. The kicking off of Newcastle International Film Festival last night (29th March) seemed to suggest this was changing. … Continue reading NIFF 2018: Get Carter screening and Q&A with Mike Hodges
Alexander Payne embarks on his latest cinematic journey in a transformative tackling of ever-present social, moral and political issues through an accessible, entertaining, bitesize medium. At a first glance, the film would appear as a standard Hollywood comedic throwaway with an interesting twist; Norwegian scientists have created a manner through which the human body can be shrunk down to a mere 5ÔÇØ, the process of … Continue reading Review: Downsizing
“There are a lot of great movies that have won the Academy Award, and a lot of great movies that haven’t. You just do the best you can.” – Clint Eastwood, Best Director, Million Dollar Baby, 2004 ItÔÇÖs Oscars time! The marmite of the festival season; you either love it or hate it. Known for its particular criteria and controversy for its snubs and #OscarsSoWhite, … Continue reading Awards Season 2018: Oscars Expectations
God’s Own Country is the film Hollywood forgot about. Move over Jon Snow, thereÔÇÖs a new brooding protagonist in town. Meet Johnny, (Josh OÔÇÖConnor) the son of a disabled sheep farmer (Ian Hart), living a rather monotonous life in the rural moors of Yorkshire, consisting of drinking, puking and casual hook-ups with random men. But this is all turned upside-down with the arrival of Romanian … Continue reading Review: God’s Own Country
Guillermo Del ToroÔÇÖs latest escapist fantasy tells a familiar fairytale of freak love between human and creature. However the director’s fastidious eye for the darkly fantastical, juxtaposed with an even darker reality, along with intelligent, era-specific social commentary which helps contextualise and ground its narrative, and nuanced, expertly written characters make this tale more akin to the esoteric lovechild of Amelie and Creature from the … Continue reading Review: The Shape of Water
Everyone thinks they know what happened when figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked and injured right before the 1994 Olympics. Turns out, not even the people involved really knew what was going on, least of all volatile opponent Tonya Harding. Supposedly. Based on ÔÇÿirony-free, wildly contradictoryÔÇÖ interviews conducted by director Craig Gillespie, I, Tonya is a darkly humorous biopic that just keeps throwing punches. Literally. … Continue reading Review: I, Tonya
Phantom Thread is a portrait of the dissatisfied artist whose work can never be done; an exploration of desire and a boyÔÇÖs enduring love for his mother (but not a boyÔÇÖs desire for his mother); and an exhibition of a lot of beautiful dresses. ┬á The film is situated in 1950s high-society London, concerning the life of Reynolds Woodcock, head of the esteemed dress-makers ÔÇÿThe … Continue reading Review: Phantom Thread
So you may have heard about this little thing called Star Wars and the recent instalment The Last Jedi. With a wide range of different opinions and reviews, we thought it best to ask what our Quench contributors had to say about the galaxy far, far away… (oh and there’s spoilers ahead) Star Wars has been a part of my life for as long as … Continue reading Film Review Episode One: Star Wars – The Last Jedi
So you may have heard about this little thing called┬áStar Wars┬áand the recent instalment┬áThe Last Jedi. With a wide range of different opinions and reviews, we thought it best to ask what our Quench contributors had to say about the galaxy far, far awayÔǪ (oh and thereÔÇÖs spoilers ahead) The one feature I personally value over all else in a film is the story: what … Continue reading Film Review Episode Two: Star Wars ÔÇô The Last Jedi
The Snowman is iconic, synonymous with Christmas. Pure unadulterated happiness is all that exudes from this animated film. Based on the best-selling childrenÔÇÖs book by Raymond Briggs, The Snowman has been engrained in British Christmas culture from the very moment it aired on the BBC in 1982. The renowned Walking in the Air song, sung by choirboy Peter Auty (commonly mistaken for Aled Jones) which … Continue reading Quenchmas Countdown: Day 25 – ‘The Snowman’
I solemnly swear I am wishing you a Merry Christmas It was impossible to pick a single Harry Potter film for this countdown, so IÔÇÖve decided to look at the entire series. What better time of year to sit down and watch the boy who lived and the Gryffindor gang prepare to fight ÔÇÿYou-Know-WhoÔÇÖ? ThereÔÇÖs just that Christmas feeling you get when watching the films … Continue reading Quenchmas Countdown: Day 24 – ‘Harry Potter’ series
