ÔÇÿI feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes. Christmas is all around me and so the feeling growsÔÇÖ are the recognisable tones of Bill Nighy in the jolly, heart-warming Christmas classic that is Love Actually. And when I hear this song on TV, I know that Christmas is just around the corner. Love Actually has become a staple of the Christmas … Continue reading Quenchmas Countdown: Day 4 – ‘Love Actually’
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. We Love Moses Until last yearÔÇÖs astonishing ÔÇÿMoonlightÔÇÖ, it is safe to say that black, gay masculinity was a subject rarely explored in film. At least, not with the … Continue reading IRIS PRIZE SHORT FILM REVIEW: We Love Moses
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’
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
┬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
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
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
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
Chapter Arts Centre‘s season last month, Girls Like Us,┬ágave us a ‘glimpse into the world of wartime propaganda filmmaking, … showing some of the best of British films that aided the war effort.’ Lucy Sanderson reviews the 1943 classic The Gentle Sex. – The irony of The Gentle Sex (1943) is palpable from the moment the cross-stitched film titles prelude the opening with the quote … Continue reading Review: The Gentle Sex
Kasimir Malevich’s ‘Suprematism’ (as pictured) represented freedom, an abstraction of worldly forms. Russian Avant-garde artists like Malevich, Kandinsky, Suetin, created a revolution rising up against traditional expression.┬áRevolution: New Art for a New World┬áprovides us with an in-depth explanation of how the rise and fall of this movement was intrinsically linked with socio-political change. Margy Kinmonth’s feature documentary charts Russian art’s movement from realism, to the … Continue reading Review: Revolution: New Art for a New World
If you know the name Billie Joe Armstrong then itÔÇÖs probably as the frontman of Green Day, the ringmaster of one of the biggest rock bands of the last twenty years. HeÔÇÖs always been engaging in music videos and onstage and even had a stint in Broadway playing St Jimmy in the musical adapted from his own American Idiot album. But a primarily dialogue driven … Continue reading Review: Ordinary World
Quench film editor Sadia Pineda Hameed spoke to director Patrick Shen about his new documentary┬áIn Pursuit of Silence,┬átheir mutual filmmaking idol Nathaniel Dorsky, and┬átracking down film subjects across California. Read our review of the documentary film┬áhere. Quench:┬á So just to start, could you describe what the documentary [In Pursuit of Silence] is about, and why the subject of pursuing silence interested you in the first … Continue reading Interview: Patrick Shen on ‘In Pursuit of Silence’
For┬ásome of us, the endless barrage of Marvel movies risk becoming quite grating; for others, having a new superhero movie every few months is a dream come true. With Doctor Strange┬áyou sense Marvel has aimed to straddle the middle ground between these camps. By recruiting respected actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton to the cause and choosing a more niche comic as inspiration, director Scott … Continue reading Review: Doctor Strange
In Pursuit of Silence is a feature-length documentary from Patrick Shen that┬áaddresses a very necessary topic. It is by no means a piece frustrated at the lack of silence┬áin a modern world full of noise – there is appreciation for the┬áwind rustling through trees, birdsong and even sounds of the city. Rather, it is a┬ámeditation┬áon the ways in which different people seek and experience silence, … Continue reading Review: In Pursuit of Silence
It seems as though the 2010s have been the decade of the movie remake. Revamped versions of classics like Ghostbusters (2016), Point Break (2015) and Carrie (2013) have graced our screens as of late; and newest to join them is Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven. Based on the original film by director John Sturges, which in turn was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), … Continue reading Review: The Magnificent Seven
Note: Falling face first into mud is the way into a manÔÇÖs heart. Bridget is back. After 15 years, the third instalment┬áin the┬ábeloved┬áfranchise, Bridget Jones’s Baby, has crawled its way to the big┬áscreen. And who would have thought it would still be as funny? Whilst having┬áa typically muddy music festival weekend with her friend, Jones┬á(Ren├®e Zellweger) finds herself having┬áa one night stand with a handsome … Continue reading Review: Bridget Jones’s Baby
