Films and TV Shows that get the university experience just right

Fresh Meat by Isabel Cosford University can be a dauntingly awkward experience, whether youÔÇÖre a hot-shot singleton, a career-ridden bookworm, or troublemaker with a serious attitude – which is why the U.K. hit series Fresh Meat is a must-watch for all students either continuing their studies or for those who are about to indulge in the shameless and shabby world of higher education. Fresh Meat … Continue reading Films and TV Shows that get the university experience just right

hannahryanAugust 13, 2018

Review: Stath Lets Flats

At this current time, we have a huge wealth of comedic talent coming through and performing in Britain. This talent is predominantly demonstrated through TV shows. In recent years, we have seen wonderful shows such as Fleabag, This Country and Lovesick charm our screens, to name a few. Many of these shows are not only featuring outstanding British talent but also have been written by … Continue reading Review: Stath Lets Flats

hannahryanAugust 10, 2018

The Problem with Love Island

ÔÇ£I sold my soul to reality TVÔÇÖ is the chilling line left in the Twitter biography of the late Sophie Gradon, one of the stars of the second series of Love Island. Gradon committed suicide in her family home aged thirty-two, days after discussing the bullying and pressures regarding her looks and other personal features she faced as a consequence of being on Love Island. … Continue reading The Problem with Love Island

hannahryanJuly 31, 2018July 31, 2018

Five Films That Get Summer Romance Right

Kiana Stevens on Moonrise Kingdom In Moonrise Kingdom, the Oscar-winning director Wes Anderson uses his unmistakably recognisable heartfelt and quirky style to capture the beautiful backdrop of Rhode Island. It is the amalgamation of these two that manage to capture a quaint and comfortingly nostalgic summer romance. Set in 1965 in the coastal town of New Penzance in New England, eccentric and unpopular teenagers Sam … Continue reading Five Films That Get Summer Romance Right

hannahryanJuly 30, 2018

Review: You Were Never Really Here

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

mollyjacksonMay 25, 2018May 25, 2018

Review: The Greatest Showman

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

mollyjacksonMay 24, 2018May 24, 2018

Review: Black Panther

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

mollyjacksonMay 24, 2018

WoW Festival Review: Mary and the Witch’s Flower

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

mollyjacksonApril 24, 2018May 24, 2018

Film & TV, LGBT+

BFI Flare 2018: Love, Simon

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

mollyjacksonApril 18, 2018

NIFF 2018: Pop Aye

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

mollyjacksonApril 8, 2018

NIFF 2018: The Silent Child screening and Q&A with Julie Foy

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

mollyjacksonApril 8, 2018

Film & TV, LGBT+

What is BFI Flare 2018?

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?

mollyjacksonApril 8, 2018

Film & TV, LGBT+

BFI Flare 2018: 120 Beats per Minute

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

mollyjacksonApril 7, 2018April 7, 2018

NIFF 2018: Get Carter screening and Q&A with Mike Hodges

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

mollyjacksonMarch 29, 2018April 8, 2018

Review: Downsizing

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

mollyjacksonMarch 4, 2018

Awards Season 2018: Oscars Expectations

“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

mollyjacksonMarch 4, 2018

Review: God’s Own Country

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

mollyjacksonFebruary 22, 2018February 22, 2018

Review: The Shape of Water

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

mollyjacksonFebruary 20, 2018February 20, 2018

Review: I, Tonya

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

mollyjacksonFebruary 18, 2018

Review: Phantom Thread

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

mollyjacksonFebruary 8, 2018February 8, 2018