The Reel Steel Cult Weekender is a celebration of films which hold a ‘cult’ or ‘classic’ status in cinema – older titles shown again on the big screen, so that today’s audiences can experience important, overlooked or influential titles in their genre. Hosted at Sheffield’s historic Abbeydale Picture House – a Grade II listed 1920’s…
Best Films of 2019
2019 has been a great year for cinema – from stories of relationships, to horror and coming-of-age journeys. This year, instead of putting together an(other) arbitrary end of year list ranking the films of 2019, we’ve simply selected 10 films we feel stood out this year. Listed in alphabetical order, each film has stood out…
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Director: Céline Sciamma Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino Words – Rhiannon Topham Describing a film as a ‘historical drama’ conjures particularly priggish dress, dialogue and narrative, none of which is typically original or disruptive to the staid all ways of the genre. Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, however,…
The Lighthouse
Director: Robert Eggers Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe Words – Joe H. Arriving to begin their month-long term as lighthouse keeper and secondary, Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) quickly finds his time ahead will be tending to the more demeaning and punishing tasks of the building under seasoned keeper Tom Wake (Willem Dafoe). The jagged…
Leeds International Film Festival 2019
The Leeds International Film Festival is one of the UK’s premiere platforms for new and world cinema. Taking place every November at venues around the city, see our look at some of the films featured at the 2019 festival – click on the film title to see our review. The Lighthouse A visceral, hypnotic…
Celluloid Screams 2019
Celluloid Screams, Sheffield’s annual horror film festival, is one of the UK’s premiere events for horror cinema from around the world. Taking place every October, see our look at some of the films featured at the 2019 festival – click on the film title to see our review. Tone-Deaf Cross-generational conflict takes a grisly…
BFI Film Festival 2019
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK’s premiere platform for welcoming international artists and storytellers, among them some of the world’s greatest names in cinema, alongside those at the very beginning of their careers. With some truly standout films in 2019, see our look at some of the films from this year’s festival –…
Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019
With 2019 marking its 26th year, Sheffield Doc/Fest is the UK’s premier documentary film festival. Under the tagline “Ways of Seeing” the festival prides itself in diversity, screening compelling stories from around the world. See our look at some of the films featured in 2019. Click on the film title to see our review. …
1917
Director: Sam Mendes Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth, Pip Carter, Andy Apollo, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch Words – Eleanor Smith In this immersive masterpiece, placing the audience into the action with the ‘long one take’ effect, director Sam Mendes perfectly portrays the brutality and horror of the First World…
Howl’s Moving Castle
2004 Director: Hayao Miyazaki Words – Christian Abbott In 2004, the landscape of animation was rapidly changing. 9 years previous, Pixar released the revolutionary Toy Story, showcasing the very first fully 3D animated feature. The following years, and especially at the beginning of the 21st century, there was a race to switch from 2D to…
Kiki’s Delivery Service
1989 Director: Hayao Miyazaki Words – Christian Abbott In film circles you will often hear the phrase “every frame a painting”. An experience, both poetic and practical, used to describe the inherent beauty of cinema. Cinematography, lighting, editing, and more, all can come together to create some of the most striking images in artistic history….
Robocop (1987)
1987 Director: Paul Verhoeven Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Ronny Cox, Daniel O’Herlihy Words – Nathan Scatcherd In today’s increasingly terrifying, existentially crippling, corporate-controlled, bought and sold disaster of a world, Paul Verhoeven’s viscera-splattered satirical masterpiece feels like it could have come out last week. Robocop retains an incredible power today,…
The Evil Dead (1981)
1981 Director: Sam Raimi Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly Words – Oliver Innocent One of horror cinema’s most iconic titles, The Evil Dead succinctly sums up the genre’s key themes; a preoccupation with darkness and death. It’s short, snappy and memorable. With a title like The Evil Dead you…
Friday The 13th (1980)
1980 Director: Sean S. Cunningham Starring: Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, Kevin Bacon, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson Words – Oliver Innocent Comprising of eight films between 1980 and 1989 (and a further four entries in the decades that followed), Friday the 13th is one of the defining franchises of the…
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)
1976 Director: John Carpenter Starring: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes Words – Joe H. A director synonymous with horror, John Carpenter earned his prolific status with films such as Halloween (1978), The Thing (1982) and They Live (1988), inspiring and influencing generations of countless filmmakers. But…
Uncut Gems
Directors: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie Starring: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Eric Bogosian, LaKeith Stanfield, Kevin Garnett, Judd Hirsch, Idina Menzel Words – Christian Abbott When venturing into the Safdie Brother’s work, the filmmakers behind Uncut Gems, it can be a disorientating experience for the uninitiated. But don’t let that fool you, their seemingly shotgun…
Must See Movies: January
At Reel Steel we want to make sure you’re getting the most of your cinematic enthusiasm, so each month we put together our short list of some of the best new releases, from popcorn munching explosion fests to the often weird and wonderful. Take a look at the trailers below and see this month’s recommendations……
