Insurgent digs itself deeper into Divergent’s hole

When Divergent was released just under a year ago I wrote about it at length. I found the film to show a lot of promise, despite some clear flaws, and I expressed my concern with the film’s political and social subtexts. The sequel, Insurgent, is now in cinemas. Sadly, it’s notable how little of the original promise has … Read more

LFF: White Bird in a Blizzard review

White Bird in a Blizzard may quite obviously be a Gregg Araki film, with teens exploring their sexuality, heightened drama, David Lynch influences and impeccable but rather extravagant costuming and soundtrack choices, but it actually feels like a particularly restrained and nuanced example of his work. Araki does have a tendency to throw everything at the … Read more

Divergent is flawed and occasionally troubling but also shows promise

Divergent rests very heavily on the construction of its fictional world, its ‘worldbuilding.’