Category Archives: Lorna Irvine

Lost In Music: Alt Blk Era

Nottingham sisters Nyrobi and Cheya Becket-Messam are kicking a hole through musical genres and expectations. The dynamic pair make music that straddles EDM, indie and metal, and their sparky debut album ‘Rave Immortal ‘,which was released last year, earned much critical and fan acclaim. Their outspoken attitude on issues like Black culture and disability, cheekyContinue reading “Lost In Music: Alt Blk Era”

Fallen To Earth, Low But Not Down

“It’s very, very sad… Very romantic” , David Bowie explained to a bemused Russell Harty in one of their many infamous awkward chatshow exchanges, after of course the pompous host remained fixated on the aesthetics and not substance, yet again. He was of course referring to The Man Who Fall To Earth. Low, the albumContinue reading “Fallen To Earth, Low But Not Down”

Film Review: Back To Black

Sam Taylor- Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic suffers from the factor that afflicts many musical biopics: it’s too linear and on -the-nose, with a Wikipedia approach to its subject. So it’s all laid down here in heart -breaking detail: everything that’s well-documented about the talented Londoner- from her closeness to glamorous nan Cynthia (brilliant as everContinue reading “Film Review: Back To Black”

Vintage Film Review: Rear Window

For a long time, Alfred Hitchcock was deemed ‘The Master of Suspense ‘. But of course, he was also big on voyeurism, and how it is we get drawn in to unhealthy obsessions such as murder plots and dark behaviour. So it is with his psychological thriller, Rear Window, written by John Michael Hayes andContinue reading “Vintage Film Review: Rear Window”

Documentary Review: Bowie- The Final Act

Sadly, it’s been almost a decade since the passing of the Thin White Duke. This documentary, which aired last night on Channel 4 in the UK, is a bit lopsided. Essentially, Bowie: The Final Act, directed by James Stiasny, initially comes across as a greatest hits of Bowie information, aiming for the gravitas and inventionContinue reading “Documentary Review: Bowie- The Final Act”

The Film Surprise Of 2025

Yet again, I’m in the minority, it seems. Most sequels, albeit with a few exceptions, are not very successful. The recent Todd Phillips ‘ Joker sequel and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice weren’t blazing triumphs, although I liked the former very much, as I felt it explored the nature of celebrity earned through notoriety very well, and IContinue reading “The Film Surprise Of 2025”

The Gentle Subversion of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

People often misunderstand Frank Capra’s classic Christmas film It’s A Wonderful Life. Released in 1946, it didn’t do very well initially in the United States. People found it too dark. Nowadays, many people find it too sentimental. I think both of these appraisals are a little wide of the mark. It’s both dark and sentimental,Continue reading “The Gentle Subversion of ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’”