1954 Director: Akira Kurosawa Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Daisuke Katô, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Kosugi, Bokuzen Hidari, Yoshio Inaba Words – Christian Abbott All great films can be traced back to other works of art from decades past. The cynical would say that nothing is…
Parasite
Director: Bong Joon-ho Starring: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi, Park So-dam, Jeong-eun Lee, Hye-jin Jang, Ji-so Jung Words – Rhiannon Topham Rarely does a film defy all cinematic conventions and pull it off flawlessly. Even more rare is for a film to please so many different genres, yet seem almost completely genre-less….
Japan 2020
From Akira Kurosawa, to Godzilla and Studio Ghibli, Japan has given the world some of its most iconic titles in cinema. To mark the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Tokyo, we took a retrospective look at a selection of films which hold a lasting influence on cinema and popular culture, as well…
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,…
Babyteeth
Director: Shannon Murphy Starring: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Ben Mendelsohn, Essie Davis Words – Rhiannon Topham Our first flame is usually a clumsy affair, defined more by how awkward everything is than any real or lasting affection. The majority of these ‘relationships’ end swiftly with the heartbreaking realisation that things seldom last forever; but for…
Saint Maud
Director: Rose Glass Starring: Morfydd Clark, Jennifer Ehle Words – Rhiannon Topham It takes a very rare beast of a directorial debut to make you wince, laugh and question the capacity of the human mind in less than 90 minutes. Rose Glass’s Saint Maud, a sinuous saga of madness and torment respects the many religion-inspired…
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 –…
Candyman (1992)
1992 Director: Bernard Rose Starring: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons, Vanessa Williams, DeJuan Guy, Marianna Elliott, Ted Raimi, Ria Pavia Words – Oliver Innocent Touted as the heir to the throne of Stephen King, Liverpool-born horror novelist Clive Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with his short story collections, Books of…
Cinema Paradiso
1988 Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Starring: Salvatore Cascio, Marco Leonardi, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Pupella Maggio, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli, Leo Gullotta, Agnese Nano, Leopoldo Trieste Words – Christian Abbott “The old movie business is just a memory”, a line which summates so much feeling through nostalgia, perfectly capturing the essence of this film. The old…
Our Little Sister
2015 Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose Words – Natalie Mills Based on manga series Seaside Town Diary, Our Little Sister follows the lives of three twenty-something sisters. Abandoned by their separated parents, they live together in the beautiful, traditional old house that belonged to their grandmother. When their father…
Tekkonkinkreet
2006 Director: Michael Arias Starring: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yû Aoi, Yûsuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô, Min Tanaka, Rokurô Naya, Tomomichi Nishimura Words – Joe H. Tekkonkinkreet is based on the popular original Japanese manga series ‘Black & White‘, written by Taiyo Matsumoto. The title Tekkonkinkreet is a play on the Japanese words for ‘concrete’, ‘iron’ and ‘muscle’,…
The Whalebone Box
2020 Director: Andrew Kötting Starring: Andrew Kötting, Iain Sinclair, Eden Kötting Words – Natalie Mills “I found this piece of film. It was in the belly of a whale.” The Whalebone Box sits alongside The Lighthouse as one of the strangest sea-related films of the year. An enjoyable, although hard to put into words, piece…
Where to watch films online for free
With cinemas closed, and continued self-isolation, now more than ever we need ways to escape with some new and classic cinema. As we are all impacted by these uncertain times in different ways, we’ve put together a list of sites where you can watch films, for free. BFI Player The BFI’s streaming service offers…
Must See Movies: March
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……
Tetsuo: The Iron Man
1989 Director: Shinya Tsukamoto Starring: Tomoro Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Naomasa Musaka Words – Christian Abbott “Your future is metal!” This line hits two-thirds into the film, and after a series of deliriously disturbing sequences, you believe it. It’s hard to grasp Tetsuo, it is as timeless as it is grotesque, and…
