Since 1947, the region of Kashmir has been in perpetual conflict. India, Pakistan, China, and militant groups have been vying for control ever since the British partition of India, which split the Kashmiri population along religious lines.
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All articles filed in Thomas H. Sheriff
Thomas H. Sheriff is a filmmaker and film journalist particularly interested in social realism, surrealism, expressionism, and the broader evolution of cinema. Graduating from the LSE last summer, he explores film as a vehicle for political, social, cultural and philosophical issues. This doesn’t detract from his unabashed love of Star Wars (even the prequels, in a masochistic sense).
REVIEW: ‘Alva’ (2019) is Rubbish, in the Purest Sense
“A hollow, misguided foray into slow cinema” Ahhhhhh, slow cinema. Slooooooow cinemaaaaaa. Cinema that take a very looooong time on veeeeeery little plot. Cinema that moves. As. Fast. As. A. Slug. On. Xanax. Sit back. Try not to fidget. It’s aaaaaaaaaart, darling. Here’s the thing: I’m generally pretty sympathetic towards this sort of stuff. There’s…
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The Rapturous Artificiality of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’
Is Singin’ in the Rain the greatest film musical of all time?
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All Falls Down: The 10 Greatest Falls in Films
(Spoilers for all films listed) Autumn is upon us – or, if you’re so inclined, ‘Fall’. It would be tempting, and easy, to do a list of the best autumnal films. I could have waxed lyrical about When Harry Met Sally and An Autumn Afternoon, Days of Heaven and The Straight Story. But I wanted…
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INTERVIEW: “It’s not a warning, it’s a scream” – Aniara (2018)
The Earth is scorched and unliveable. Humanity is moving to Mars. You board an enormous ship which will take you there, along with hundreds of other passengers – ordinary people just like you. It’s like going on a cruise: the ship caters to your needs and desires with restaurants, shops, clubs; even simulations of a…
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REVIEW: “Never Speak of This Abomination Again” – ‘Dirty Girl’ (2010)
★ “A mean-spirited coming-of-age film that is never funny” What’s the worst thing about Dirty Girl? Is it Juno Temple as Danielle, the “dirty girl” proclaimed by the title? Surely not. Everyone loves Juno Temple. But then again, she’s so damn aggravating in this film that I’m not sure who I want to shoot first,…
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REVIEW: “A Bark With No Bite” – ‘Anima’ (2019)
★ ★ “Disappointingly flat, delivering platitudes instead of punch” Thom Yorke has always been wary of the digital age. Radiohead’s breakout, possibly career-defining work, OK Computer, was an album of computerised alienation and political pessimism. Released in 1997, it stood in stark contrast to the overwhelming mood of Britain (and much of the world) at…
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Best Of 2019 So Far – Thomas Sheriff
I never see as many films as I’d like; especially not in the cinema. I doubt that will ever not be true. So, when (if) I eventually catch up on all 2019’s cinema I might look back on this brief top 5 and gasp at the glaring omissions made. Oh well, it can’t be helped.…
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Revisiting Kill Bill: Why I No Longer Enjoy The Tarantino Classics
I used to actually quite like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 I’ve always found unforgivably ponderous and embarrassingly portentous, but not without its moments of excitement. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 used to please me in a trashy way – I admired its ridiculous action and its refusal to behave like a…
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