Bungalow

Bungalow Germany (2002) Dir. Ulrich Köhler It’s hard being stuck in a life where you feel you have no direction and nothing seems to provide any answers. Then you find out others seem to have the life you want, what do you do - find the same for yourself or try to take theirs instead? …

Peninsula

Peninsula Korea (2020) Dir. Yeon Sang-ho In life, people make decisions that have far-reaching effects, not just for themselves, but for others too. However, many of these decisions are made in the heat of the moment where time to weigh up the pros and cons isn’t an option, and they are worse ones we have …

Gamera vs. Jiger (Gamera tai Daimaju Jaiga)

Gamera vs. Jiger (Gamera tai Daimaju Jaiga) Japan (1970) Dir. Noriaki Yuasa Long before the Mutant Ninja Turtles were labelled “heroes in a half-shell”, a reptilian fighter of justice was already kicking butt in Japan - Gamera. Created as a belated rival to Godzilla, Gamera had run of seven successful films from 1965 to 1971, …

Gamera: The Giant Monster (Daikaijû Gamera)

Gamera: The Giant Monster (Daikaijû Gamera) Japan (1965) Dir. Noriaki Yuasa Imitation is reputedly the sincerest form of flattery, except in the world of cinema where it is seen as a licence to cash in on a successful format someone else thought of first. If this ersatz version of a hot property is too close …

Eureka

Eureka India (2020) Dir. Kartik Anand It’s one thing to have a reputation that brings infamy to your name but what happens when you change? How do you go about earning people’s trust again when you are only associated with trouble? College life is a chore for Yuva (Karteek Anand), the number one delinquent on …

Fusé: Memoirs Of The Hunter Girl (Fuse: teppô musume no torimonochô)

Fusé: Memoirs Of The Hunter Girl (Fuse: teppô musume no torimonochô) Japan (2012) Dir. Masayuki Miyaji Dogs are a man’s best friend, so they say. Well, we have a pug and she prefers to hang around with my mum over me and my dad, so I guess that is one theory disproved. But I digress, …

Lady Bird

Lady Bird US (2017) Dir. Greta Gerwig Sometimes, one finds themselves overwhelmed by the hype of something that instead of seeing what all the fuss is about, they are actively put off by it. Lady Bird is a film I’ve avoided watching due to how it was deified to the point of distraction when it …

Up For Love (Un homme à la hauteur)

Up For Love (Un homme à la hauteur) France (2016) Dir. Laurent Tirard Size doesn’t matter. It is one of those humiliation-saving white lies told since time immemorial, along with bums not looking big certain dresses, an overcooked dinner still being edible, or a terrible haircut being fine. The problem is 50% of the people …

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (Cert 12) 2 Discs DVD/Blu-ray (Distributor: Manga Entertainment) Running time: 310 minutes approx.  In the same week MVM releases Mysteria Friends in the UK about the friendship (and possibly more) between a young human girl and a dragon girl, Manga Entertainment also bring us a show with a similar premise - …

The Whistlers (La Gomera)

The Whistlers (La Gomera) Romania (2019) Dir. Corneliu Porumboiu Remember when Lauren Bacall told Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not that to whistle, “You just put your lips together and blow”? Well, it would appear that it isn’t so simple, according to some countries where techniques differ quite substantially and the whistle has …