Film Archive

MANIFF 2021: Country of Hotels
Country of Hotels draws influence from The Shining, yet fails to add anything new to the genre in what becomes a boring and uncomfortable watch

MANIFF 2021: Trouble Will Find Us
Trouble Will Find Us tells a tragic tale of a couple’s misunderstanding and struggles through their changing relationship

MANIFF 2021: The Battle of Shangri-la
Dealing with poignant, contemporary themes, Brazilian drama The Battle of Shangri-la features a strong central performance and adept filmmaking

MANIFF 2021: iGilbert
Adrien Martinez explores social isolation, relationships, and subjectivity in the digital age through the eyes of an obsessive, lonely, and damaged outcast.

The World of Wong Kar-Wai: A retrospective of the Hong Kong auteur
Remasterings of the major works of Wong Kar-Wai feature timeless and urgent love stories and pay homage to the city of Hong Kong

Pelé: A sports documentary that interrogates its subject
Pelé avoids being too deferential to its subject and engages with his political legacy

Accepting the everlasting silence in Sound of Metal
Riz Ahmed shines as a hearing-impaired drummer in an understated drama about struggling to accept a dramatic change in one’s way of living

International Cinema: Spain and Latin America
Our contributors picked their favourite films from Spain and Latin America in the third instalment of the International Cinema series

Judas and the Black Messiah: Far from revolutionary?
Fred Hampton biopic might not be truly revolutionary, but is not afraid of showing true Black Panthers’ viewpoints

Lesbian period dramas: Have we seen enough?
Is it time to create more modern love stories for the LGBTQ+ community?
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Manchester International Film Festival 2021: Preview
Manchester International Film Festival comes back in 2021 with a new selection of world and UK premieres.

Disney+ Star – more content, but at what cost?
With hundreds more films and TV shows added to the site, has Disney Plus finally claimed top spot amidst the ‘Streaming Wars’?

Essential LGBT biopics
To celebrate this year’s LGBT History Month our writers picked the essential LGBT biographical films

Behind Her Eyes: Netflix must-watch mystery
Netflix’s new show strings along a series of secrets that makes for one of 2021’s first must-watch series

Soul: Pixar’s most mature film?
Don’t let the bright colours and anthropomorphised animals fool you – this is Pixar’s most mature feature to date

Best of James Bond
Throughout the 24-film James Bond franchise there are many sidekicks, villains, and actors to consider when choosing the best ones. Who do we think are they?

The demise of cinema and the rise of online streaming
Rhiannon Ingle shares the best alternative streaming services out there

Sia’s Music: Disturbing, offensive, ableist
Sia’s directorial debut is an offensive and cartoonish portrayal of autism

News of the World: Respectable Western that lacks an emotional core
Despite a pair of solid performances and strong direction, News of the World falls short of being a great Western

Mud or Gold: The Dig Review
The Dig humanises the groundbreaking archaeological discovery of the Sutton Hoo burial sites and is a heart wrenching account of friendship and love