DVD Review: Stalingrad (20th Anniversary Edition)
There have been some classic war movies over the years which, instead of glorifying conflict deal with the madness of war. Vietnam spurned a whole plethora of these, most notably Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and Coming Home. There have also been many powerful anti-war films about the World Wars including Paths of Glory, Oh! …
Film Festival Review: Celluloid Screams
Celluloid Screams, the Sheffield horror film festival, continued to grow this year. Not only did it make screen 4 its own, 2014 marked its best year yet (both in terms of quality and, by the look of it, attendance). The team behind the festival’s hard work and dedication, not to mention their eye for a …
Blu-ray Review: The Killing Fields (30th Anniversary Edition)
The role of a producer has faded in importance over the years, but at one time it was considered to be of equal significant as the director. Possibly the greatest British producer and one of the best known names in British cinema during the late ’70s and 80s was David Puttnam. He produced several of …
Incoming: The Overnighters
In the tiny town of Williston, North Dakota, tens of thousands of unemployed hopefuls show up with dreams of honest work and a big paycheck under the lure of the oil boom. However, busloads of newcomers chasing a broken American Dream step into the stark reality of slim work prospects and nowhere to sleep. The …
DVD Review: The Naked City
The Second World War brought with it one of the richest genres in cinema – film noir. Staring towards the end of the conflict and running to the end of the next decade, Hollywood was dominated by a plethora of rich and stylish crime dramas. Detour, D.O.A., The Big Sleep, The Killers and Double Indemnity …
Incoming: Mr Turner
Mr Turner explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner. Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he …
DVD Review: All This Mayhem
There have been several excellent skateboarding documentaries: Dogtown and Z-Boyz, Waiting for Lightening, Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator and Bones Brigade: An Autobiography to name but a few. I’m not a particular fan of extreme sports but there’s something about the whole world of skateboarding which is fascinating. These documentaries generally seem to …
Incoming: The Babadook
Six years after the death of her husband, Amelia struggles to discipline her “out-of-control” six-year-old Samuel – a son she finds difficult to love. Samuel’s dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called “The Babadook” turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that …
DVD Review: Soul Boys of the Western World
The ’80s was an era of bright clothing, bizarre haircuts and pop cheesy enough to disturb even the least lactose intolerant (although I don’t remember that existing back then). In an era of political upheaval and social change, there were a number of youth movements reflecting the need of a generation to find their place …
Incoming: Time is Illmatic
Twenty years after its release, Illmatic has become a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the socio-political outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young black men searching for their voice in America. Time is Illmatic tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family, handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu …