Articles about Reviews
9 Bob Note: ten short films showcasing new queer cinema
Selina Robertson reviews the queer shorts programme shown during this year's London Short Film Festival and finds all the mini-flicks passing her rigorous selection
Selina Robertson // 8 February 2012
Laura Gibson's grand return
Kaite Welsh listens to Laura Gibson's latest album and finds her recalling the musical quirks she is best known for but also exploring new territory
Kaite Welsh // 27 January 2012
The cultural narratives they are a-changin'?
An unpleasant incident with a fellow cinema-goer notwithstanding, Chrissy D left a screening of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in high spirits and hopeful for a change of the tide in Hollywood's take on female leads in action movies
Chrissy D // 19 January 2012
Bedroom dance like it's 1995! Wild Flag shake their shimmy
Wild Flag are a supergroup comprising Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss, Helium's Mary Timony and The Minders' Rebecca Cole. Sophie Mayer examines their formation and delights in their debut self-titled album
Sophie Mayer // 16 January 2012
The brilliant and the eclectic: Gaggle preview their forthcoming debut album
All woman punk choir Gaggle are a diverse group who integrate openly feminist concepts into their performances. Their radical reworking of The Brilliant and the Dark at the Royal Albert Hall was sold out in September. Hayley Foster da Silva reports on their all-too-brief follow-up performance at Hackney New Empowering Church on 15 December 2011
Hayley Foster da Silva // 11 January 2012
The sweet and sour world of Annie Clark: St Vincent's Strange Mercy
Annie Clark began her career with the Polyphonic Spree, has released two albums of dark but sweet left-of-centre pop, and has been touring her new album Strange Mercy across sold out venues around Europe. Louise Allan reveals that Clark hasn't lost her taste for the disturbing and the angelic
Louise Allan // 9 January 2012
Florence: the next instalment
Cazz Blase reviews Florence + the Machine's latest album and finds Welsh's ability to follow her own path and confound people's expectations, while soaking up diverse musical genres, to still be in full force
Cazz Blase // 29 December 2011
Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets
Girls for Gender Equity, a not-for-profit organisation based in New York City, work to empower youth, fight sexual harassment and address gender violence. Sara Clarke reviews their guide for young people - and those working with them - on exactly what is sexual harassment, and what needs to be done about it
Sara Clarke // 27 December 2011
Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part One)
At pains to defend the latest chaotic and confused installment of The Twilight Saga, Mathilda Gregory reads it as a transgressive anti-fairytale about perils of femininity
Mathilda Gregory // 12 December 2011
The Opiates: Billie Ray Martin returns!
With a career spanning over 25 years, Hamburg-born singer, DJ and label owner Billie Ray Martin is a woman with an impressive history in both dance and soul music. Holly Combe salutes her return
Holly Combe // 6 December 2011
The skin we live in: the mad, bad world of Pedro Almodóvar
Remaining spooked and preoccupied, Mhairi Guild still appreciates density and creativity of Almodovar's latest grotesque fairytale of not-only-gender identity, desire and power
Mhairi Guild // 30 November 2011
Shattering seas: Tori Amos at the Royal Albert Hall
Tori Amos' recent performance at London's Royal Albert Hall served as an emotional reminder for Sophie Mayer of the power of song, and of teenage memories
Sophie Mayer // 25 November 2011
Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent
Laurie Penny's new book brings together a diverse collection of her writing from online content to newspaper columns. Sarah Graham reviews the works of one of the most prominent voices of the new left as she provides analysis, interviews and first-hand accounts of everything from the UK student protests to vajazzling
Sarah Graham // 21 November 2011
Living in the ice age: Kate Bush's 50 Words for Snow
Six years after Aerial, Kate Bush's latest offering sees her continuing to write, perform and produce music that is out of this world. Debi Withers previews the release, equipped with a healthy appreciation for the ridiculous and a love of Bush's work, tempered by a critical eye for some of the problems inherent within it
debi withers // 20 November 2011
Abi Wade - And Blood and Air EP
At a time when folk music is enjoying plenty of exposure, new blood Abi Wade's brave and disarmingly simple first EP is a fitting addition. Cazz Blase reports
Cazz Blase // 18 November 2011
Music for wintertime: Zola Jesus' Conatus
Nika Danilova -AKA Zola Jesus- grew up training to sing opera whilst listening to Throbbing Gristle and the Dead Kennedys. As the nights draw in and temperatures drop, David Wilkinson reviews her third album Conatus
David Wilkinson // 14 November 2011
The 21st Century Motherhood Movement
Andrea O'Reilly argues that activist mothers are creating an autonomous and distinct social movement. Adele Jones reviews this first anthology of its kind, which profiles organisations who are all fighting for a shift in the value given to the roles and responsibilities of motherhood
Adele Jones // 14 November 2011
Beware the betrayal of women in politics
Taraneh Ghajar Jerven is disappointed with George Clooney's new film which renders women insignificant both on-screen and in politics
Taraneh Ghajar Jerven // 4 November 2011
Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
Brit Award winning musician Laura Marling's latest album sees her going beyond her nu-folk roots and taking on a looser, lustier and more sophisticated style. Louise Allan reports
Louise Allan // 2 November 2011
In Other Worlds
Katherine Wootton reviews Margaret Atwood's new work of non-fiction which explores the importance and vast potential of science fiction - a much ridiculed and underestimated genre - in the literary canon, and delves into the significance it holds for Atwood as both a reader and writer
Katherine Wootton // 27 October 2011
Tyrannosaur
Finding Tyrannosaur an unremittingly upsetting film, Chloe George salutes its ability to avoid clichés in the portrayal of violence against women
Chloe George // 24 October 2011
Be the same; be the change: Maple Bee and her world
Cazz Blase reviews the career of Maple Bee (AKA Melanie Garside from Mediaeval Baebes), taking in the albums Hello Eve, Home and Chasing Eva along the way
Cazz Blase // 23 October 2011
Blue Roses
David Wilkinson salutes the talents of Laura Groves, otherwise known as Blue Roses, and finds much to marvel at in her precocious debut album
David Wilkinson // 21 October 2011
Falling for Me
Anna David devoted a year of her life to following the advice set down in a classic book from the 1960s, but Diane Shipley questions the self-empowerment message in a book bogged down with regressive ideas and strict gender-roles
Diane Shipley // 13 October 2011
She Monkeys
Hailing the coming-of-age story of adolescent sexuality and fierce competition between female equestrians, Ania Ostrowska has her heart set on the youngest of three heroines
Ania Ostrowska // 13 October 2011
The Future of Feminism
Sylvia Walby's book provides a comprehensive rebuttal of the notion that feminism is dead. Rachel Benson reviews this definitive account of feminism's present and future forms, and the progression of feminism into the mainstream
Rachel Benson // 7 October 2011
From riots to riot grrrl: Heavens to Betsy revisited
Are you a fan of Heavens to Betsy or riot grrrl? Artist Katie Hare has put together a sound and video installation based on the seminal band's 1993 album Calculated, to appear in London on 14-16 October. Cazz Blase reports
Cazz Blase // 5 October 2011
Radical rockers UT at The Lexington
Famously name-checked by Le Tigre in 1991's 'Hot Topic', feminist rock pioneers UT originally came from the downtown New York no-wave scene in 1978. They moved on to London, touring with The Fall in the early 1980s and releasing four albums that decade, before disbanding in 1990. Hayley Foster da Silva witnesses their return
Hayley Foster da Silva // 3 October 2011
I don't know how she does it
This Hollywood blockbuster's heroine is a high-flying finance executive, but Diane Shipley argues that women across classes and careers share parts of her predicament and can applaud her small victories over a lazy husband and an over-demanding boss
Diane Shipley // 2 October 2011
Cambodian Space Project - 2011: A Space Odyssey
Srey Thy is a singer with a story to tell. Louise Allan discovers this album from Thy's band, Cambodian Space Project, is a mixture of Thy-penned Kmer rock and tributes to a golden age of 60's Cambodian pop
Louise Allan // 16 September 2011
Heavenly Creatures
Revisiting the film she loved unconditionally as a teenager, Jess McCabe still finds its portrayal of two young perpetrators of a horrific crime highly compelling
Jess McCabe // 11 September 2011
Romcom roundup: the friends with benefits phenomenon
'Friends with benefits' is not such a novelty as a recent series of Hollywood films is trying to present it, says Evelyn Krampf, debunking the phenomenon as a mere plot device serving the usual goals of good ol' heterosexist romcom
Evelyn Krampf // 6 September 2011
Choices Women Make: Agency in Domestic Violence, Assisted Reproduction, and Sex Work
Carisa R. Showden argues in her latest book that victim and agent are not mutually exclusive categories. Anna Edman considers her belief that survivors of domestic violence, women using assisted reproduction and women in prostitution are still able to assess their situation and wrest some control
Anna Edman // 6 September 2011
Unhitched
Richard Ganly reviews a book which challenges the notion that a monogamous, heterosexual marriage is truly superior to all others
Richard Ganly // 21 August 2011
Electrelane at Scala
Louise Allan gives an overview of the 10 year career of Electrelane and attends a gig at Scala on 21 July, one of their first after a three year break
Louise Allan // 10 August 2011
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Catherine Elms finds Lady Gaga's latest album something of a mixed bag, but remains optimistic about the stars ability to vary her sound and stay strong on sex and sexuality
Catherine Elms // 8 August 2011
Break my fall
For those who can appreciate an at times painful study of relationship falling apart set in contemporary Hackney, the latest Harry Potter will be no competitor for Kanchi Wichmann's Break My Fall, suggests Selina Robertson
Selina Robertson // 28 July 2011
Feminist Media History: Suffrage, Periodicals and the Public Sphere
Red Chidgey reviews a book focusing on the feminist periodicals which emerged from the campaign for women's right to vote, highlighting the central role of grassroots publications to engage the wider public
Red Chidgey // 27 July 2011
Game of Thrones
Elaine O'Neill explain why HBO's new swords and sorcery epic isn't just a man's game
Elaine O'Neill // 22 July 2011
Categories: Reviews, Television
Y: The Last Man
Set in a world where all beings with a Y chromosome have been wiped out, this is one of the most remarkable comic book series of the first decade of the 21st century, says Maura McHugh
Maura McHugh // 18 July 2011
'Because sex workers shouldn't have to be dead to be on film'
Ania Ostrowska reviews the first ever London Sex Worker Film Festival and argues that sex workers' rights are a feminist issue
Ania Ostrowska // 14 July 2011
How To Be a Woman
Ava Jackson reviews Caitlin Moran's book of the moment; a laugh-out-loud, light-hearted look at the day-to-day obstacles which await women in a modern world, from plastic surgery to tiny knickers
Ava Jackson // 13 July 2011
Biophilia - Björk returns
Ruth Rosselson attends the world premiere of Björk's live show, one of several performances at Campfield Market Hall that are her first UK dates in over three years
Ruth Rosselson // 10 July 2011
tUnE-yArDs at the Manchester Deaf Institute
Ruth Rosselson gives the lowdown on a show from Merrill Garbus, a big-voiced artist who exudes confidence on stage through her music, rather than her outfits or dancing
Ruth Rosselson // 10 July 2011
The Wilder Life
Wendy McClure immerses herself in the world of her beloved childhood hero Laura Ingalls Wilder. Diane Shipley follows this journey as McClure separates fact from fiction and is forced to examine why her childhood obsession has only deepened
Diane Shipley // 2 July 2011
Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs of the Queen of Country Music
Helen G reviews Laura Cantrell's collection of covers of songs by Kitty Wells, the first female country star to release a long-playing record
Helen G // 10 June 2011
Portal 2
Jess McCabe celebrates a refreshing break from the objectification of women in video games with Portal 2
Jess McCabe // 2 June 2011
Categories: Reviews, video games
Granta 115: The F Word
Despite being The F-Word's namesake, Iman Qureshi argues that Granta 115: The F Word misses the mark
Iman Qureshi // 31 May 2011
Generation Indigo
Cazz Blase reviews Poly Styrene's final work, an angry album with socially biting lyrics but an overall optimistic theme
Cazz Blase // 29 May 2011
Under an Emerald Sky
Lukela Aimmado explains why Under an Emerald Sky, a novel by black, queer, feminist activist Olukemi Amala is essential reading for all
Lukela Aimmado // 26 May 2011
Ruth
Katherine Wootton examines how Elizabeth Gaskell's daring novel Ruth, a new edition of which is published this month, challenges our prejudices and suggests how it is still relevent today
Katherine Wootton // 19 May 2011
Bloody marvellous
Horror films can be slash-fests that linger over torture of female victims. Or they can be feminist and subversive. Mathilda Gregory reviews the Bloody Women strand at this year's Bird's Eye View Film Festival
Mathilda Gregory // 8 April 2011
Women's Liberation Movement @ 40 - Reflections
Catherine Redfern gives some personal reflections on the Women's Liberation Movement @ 40 conference
Catherine Redfern // 18 March 2010
The Feminine Mistake
When Leslie Bennetts urged women to stay in the workplace after starting a family, she outraged millions of Americans. JC Sutcliffe reviews the lessons we can take away from her book - and its limitations
JC Sutcliffe // 2 May 2007
