Hi itÔÇÖs Molly the Elf, whatÔÇÖs your favourite colour? It must be said (and I will festively fight to the death on this), that Jon FavreauÔÇÖs Elf is one of the best Christmas films ever, and if not, one of the best films ever. To exist. Ever. If you havenÔÇÖt watched Elf at least 7 times before Christmas Day, then you are not doing Christmas … Continue reading Quenchmas Countdown: Day 3 – ‘Elf’
During my time at the Iris Prize Festival, I was lucky enough to be able to see a few of the competition winners, which includes ÔÇÿBest British ShortÔÇÖ, and ÔÇÿBest International ShortÔÇÖ, to name a few. One Summer The pastoral to gay narratives is what waterlilies were to Monet; inseparable and unimaginably beautiful. ÔÇÿOne SummerÔÇÖ is the quiet, sun-drenched story of two sheepshearers wiling their … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: ‘One Summer’
This film has everything you love about Christmas. Carol singers, snowmen, tinsel and most importantly, elderly women being shot out of windows. Fun for all the family. Gremlins is a bit quirky. Released in the Summer of 84 to rival against Temple of Doom and Ghostbusters, the film mocks the commercialisation of Christmas as well as tell a story which is particularly dark at times, … Continue reading Quenchmas Countdown: Day 2 – ‘Gremlins’
During my time at the Iris Prize Festival, I was lucky enough to be able to see a few of the competition winners, which includes ÔÇÿBest British ShortÔÇÖ, and ÔÇÿBest International ShortÔÇÖ, to name a few.┬á Lily Set against the backdrop of IrelandÔÇÖs gloomy skies, and steeped in the uncertainty of teenage life, ÔÇÿLilyÔÇÖ is a brief, devastating look at the internal struggle, and, often, … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: Lily
The power couple that gave us Forrest Gump reunites once more to rejoice our screens with a Christmas classic. ‘The Polar Express’ directed by Robert Zemeckis and voiced by Tom Hanks, among others, reimagines the 1985ÔÇÖs children book written by Chris Van Allsburg. The animators have attempted to preserve the look of the original illustrations of the book using state-of-the-art motion-capture technology, the result is … Continue reading Quenchmas Countdown: Day 1 – ‘The Polar Express’
The LGBTQ+ narrative in cinema is one that comes with a rather complicated history. From ÔÇÿBrokeback MountainÔÇÖ right up to this yearÔÇÖs most lauded romance, ÔÇÿCall Me by Your NameÔÇÖ, LGBTQ+ stories in film have repeatedly been dominated by drama, tragedy and, more often than one would like, death. How refreshing it is, then, as a huge fan of queer narratives, to come across Christopher … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE REVIEW: Prom King, 2010
Ever since the Autumn of 2016, and under the administration of Donald Trump, countless groups of people have been vilified, scrutinised, and scapegoated by the very government that is supposed to represent them. From the announcement of TrumpÔÇÖs decision to campaign to become the president of the United States onwards, much conversation in America has revolved around the rights of minorities, and much of it … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE REVIEW: Signature Move
┬áFerris Bueller told us that “Life moves pretty fast. If you donÔÇÖt stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”, Timon and Pumbaa said that the philosophy of Hakuna Matata was the way forward for stress-free days and Forrest Gump’s mum always said “Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Quench’s contributors write about their … Continue reading Big Life Lessons from the Big Screen – Part II
ItÔÇÖs that time again, and the soothing, dulcet tones of the legendary Sir David Attenborough are back acting as the music to our ears. And whilst his voice was warming our ears, our eyes were being graced and mesmerised by the sheer beauty of our Blue Planet. The discovery of smarter fish using tools in this first episode, has once again heralded another success for … Continue reading Q&A with David Attenborough plus Live Screening of ‘Blue Planet 2’
The cultural transformation which succeeded the Russian revolution challenged every aspect of the old order. In Margy Kinmonth’s latest documentary, ÔÇ£Revolution ÔÇô New Art for a New WorldÔÇØ, this BAFTA winning director explores the incredible art movements that succeeded the Russian revolution. KinmonthÔÇÖs stunning documentary draws the watcher in and highlights how the Avant-Garde movement exploded the classical boundaries of art, architecture and the stage. … Continue reading Interview & Review with ‘Revolution – Art for a New World’s Director Margy Kinmonth
Made in memory of a BASE jumper, this film introduces J.C, a jumper who pushes everything to the limit. Flying lower and faster after an accident we follow how he deals with the past and watch how he chooses to live his life; by filming everything. From the get-go, the film offers something slightly different than your regular adrenalin genre. With the majority of film … Continue reading Review: BASE
For Issue 164, Quench Film and TV asked contributors to send in their favourite moments in film that either inspired viewers or changed their life and outlook on the world. It was incredible to see such a big interest in the piece, so we also decided to take the piece online… Spike JonzeÔÇÖs ÔÇÿHerÔÇÖ is, for me, nothing short of a modern masterpiece. Written as … Continue reading Big Life Lessons from the Big Screen continued…
WeÔÇÖre a few days away from the release of NetflixÔÇÖs number one show, Stranger Things. We were treated to the final trailer before the debut of the new season on the Friday 13th of October, and here are my thoughts and predictions for Stranger Things, season two. The final trailer for season two of NetflixÔÇÖs Stranger Things has been released, and I couldnÔÇÖt be more … Continue reading Stranger Things 2: Final trailer thoughts and predictions
Childhood is a strange thing. When youÔÇÖre young, primary school feels like the centre of the universe, and no one on this earth could tell you that the friends youÔÇÖve made wonÔÇÖt always be there. Everything seemed so much simpler, right? Well, actually, maybe not. We might think weÔÇÖre stressed out now, with looming university assignments and deadlines creeping around the corner, but our primary … Continue reading Interview & Review with School Life Director,┬áNeasa N├¡ Chian├íin┬áand Co-Director/Producer,┬áDavid Rane
Heart-warming, emotionally captivating and equal parts darkness and light, Joe StephensonÔÇÖs feature debut film Chicken is, conversely to the title, not solely about farm animals. Originally a play by Freddie Machin, it follows Richard (Scott Chambers), an optimistic and sunny teenage boy living in a caravan with his volatile brother Polly (Morgan Watkins), dealing with both PollyÔÇÖs changeable moods and his own undiagnosed learning difficulties. … Continue reading Interview & Review with Chicken director Joe Stephenson
There comes a point in our lives, sometimes on the verge of adulthood, and sometimes midway into a career as a solicitor, where we ask ourselves the following questions. What am I doing? And, upon realising that we are desperately unhappy and unsure of ourselves: What the hell am I going to do? Once we realise that we are failing to take control of our … Continue reading Interview & Review with Moon Dogs director Phillip John
Game of Thrones series 7 was shorter in length to what weÔÇÖre used to, but in usual Game of Thrones styley, there were quite a number of twists and turns (n family lovinÔÇÖ between Ice and Fire). We had brutal deaths, zombie dragons and the collapse of the Great Wall. Our wonderful Quench contributors wrote their thoughts on the finale and the series in general: … Continue reading Spoiler Review: Game of Thrones finale
The HitmanÔÇÖs Bodyguard is the new action-comedy film by director Patrick Hughes, whose previous pictures can be counted on one hand by a person missing three fingers: Red Hill (me neither) and The Expendables 3 (yes, they really did make three). The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, a disgraced security contractor who must escort his arch-nemesis, hitman Darius Kincaid, played by Samuel L. … Continue reading Review: The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The move of our beloved Great British Bake Off from BBC to Channel 4 had sparked outcry, social media riots and branding the once-adored-by-many Paul Hollywood into the biggest snake that ever was. We said goodbye to British sweetheart Mary Berry, goodbye to the hilarious duo Mel and Sue, and goodbye to the Beeb. We didn’t quite welcome the news with open arms, it must … Continue reading How Great is the new ‘Great British Bake Off’?
ÔÇ£One of my rules was that I would not put any events into the book that had not already happened in what James Joyce called the ÔÇ£nightmareÔÇØ of history ÔǪ God is in the details, they say. So is the Devil.ÔÇØ Margaret Atwood. ┬á Since its publication in 1985 The HandmaidÔÇÖs Tale has been considered one of the most influential pieces of dystopian fiction and … Continue reading The Scary Reality of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
