Film

The 1997 copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was one of just 500 printed

★★★★☆ Rarely has a nation been depicted with as much horror as the civil war torn Ukraine of director Sergei Loznista’s Donbass. The film is built around thirteen loosely connected vignettes that explore the mid-2010s conflict between Ukraine and the Russian backed Donetsk People’s Republic. The result is a chaotic and darkly comic look at governmental corruption, media manipulation, and the military-run state. The scenes focus on the conflict zone and how different sectors of society intersect with it. Displaced citizens...

★★★★☆ Toy Story 3 was a perfect ending to the original Toy Story trilogy, but nine years later, the fourth instalment of Pixar’s crown jewel has arrived. Is it one sequel too many, or do Pixar once again knock it out of the park? TS4 very much feels like an epilogue to the Andy storyline, as we now follow our old motley crew Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen), Jesse (Cusack) & co adjusting to being a part of the life of...

★★★★☆ In a time when the UK is closing in on itself, Curzon and Anthony Woodley  have tailored a beautiful tale of compassion, love and basic human decency . Lena Heady, who plays the female lead, herself volunteers  in Refugee camps and her and crew have volunteered at the “Calais jungle” in order to help making this beautiful story.  The main character in the film is a young man from Eritrea, a refugee looking for shelter and in the UK, a country  that for...

In this ongoing series, Sam Inglis casts a retrospective look on films that were banned from exhibition by the British censor. Usually, for a series like this, there is a limited set of issues to cover. Films are generally supressed, cut or outright banned for reasons of sex, violence or a combination of the two. Not so Nigel Wingrove’s nunsploitation short Visions of Ecstasy, which is the only film to have been banned in the UK for blasphemy. The film...

The Aston Martin DB5 comes complete with machine guns, tire-slashers, bullet proof screen, radar, oil slick, smoke screen and an ejector seat

★★★☆☆ The fourth instalment in the iconic Men In Black franchise sees Liam Neeson and Chris Hemsworth joined by Hemsworth’s Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers co star Tessa Thompson in a sequel which isn’t half as bad as many would have expected it be.  Directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum, Men In Black: International also stars Rebecca Ferguson (The Greatest Showman), Rafe Spall (Shaun Of The Dead) and the voice of Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon...

★★★★☆ The reality of living at the intersection of what is essentially a war-zone and having to continue with everyday life makes up a great deal of Arebi’s insightful documentary about the fight to bring women’s football to Libya. Desperate for recognition and acceptance from both the government and the public, the team train hard with their sights set on actually playing a first international match. As talented as they may be (and they are clearly skilled players), the team...

★★☆☆☆ It’s been a tumultuous decade for the X-men franchise, following the refreshing 2011 reboot, First Class, which saw the series revived after the dire X3, The Last Stand. The new cast led by James McAvoy & Micheal Fassbender followed this up with the even more acclaimed Days of Future Past. The cracks started to appear in 2016’s Apocalypse, but with the inevitable Disney Fox merger on the horizon, could the franchise sign off with one final stand (pun intended),...