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
The year 2020 holds a particular significance for Japan – with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Tokyo. From Akira Kurosawa, to Godzilla and Studio Ghibli, Japan has given the world some of its most iconic titles in cinema. UPDATED: To mark the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in Tokyo,…
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,…
Color Out of Space
Director: Richard Stanley Starring: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Q’orianka Kilcher, Tommy Chong, Madeleine Arthur, Julian Hilliard, Brendan Meyer Words – Carly Stevenson Adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft short story by cult director Richard Stanley, Color Out of Space is a stunning spectacle of cosmic body horror that perfectly captures the fear of the unknown we…
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 –…
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. …
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: Shin’ya Tsukamoto Starring: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shin’ya 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…
Godzilla (1954)
1954 Director: Ishiro Honda Starring: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami, Sachio Sakai Words – Rebecca Kirby It took fifty years for the original, uncut version of Ishiro Honda’s “Godzilla” (or Gojira) to receive an official release for western audiences. In that time the films powerful message has not diminished. “Godzilla”…
Must See Movies: February
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……
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…
Reel Steel Cult Weekender 2020 Film Festival
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…
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….
