Film Review: Silent River
There is probably no term in the cinephile dictionary which is more regularly misused than that of ‘Lynchian’. Referencing the work of David Lynch, it has become a lazy descriptor for anything that’s a bit different from the norm. Any film which is strange or odd. Difficult to comprehend or refuses to let the audience …
Blu-Ray Review: Deathsport
Roger Corman was never a man to pass up the opportunity to jump on a bandwagon. So, when Deathrace 2000, which he produced, became a huge hit (relatively speaking) in 1975, he decided to cash-in on it. Deathsport was the first of a number of proposed sequels, but its failure and difficult shoot put an …
Blu-Ray Review: Take Out
Sean Baker has been one of the more interesting independent filmmakers to break through into mainstream cinema in the last few years. He has built a career around capturing the stories of marginalised groups within the USA. While Red Rocket, The Florida Project and his breakthrough Tangerines have put him on the map, he’d been …
Blu-Ray Review: A Boy and His Dog
Don Johnson was one of the coolest actors of his generation. During the 1980s, he became a cultural icon thanks to the role of Crocket in Miami Vice. Whilst he’s gone on to make a number of films and TV shows, nothing has really come close to matching its success. However, he seems to have …
LFF Review: Crows Are White
There’s something almost ingrained within humans to look for a purpose. A higher calling. Something other than what’s in front of us in our daily lives. A compulsion to find something to believe in. This is the whole essence of religion and it has been a driving force for ‘man’ since the dawn of recorded …
Blu-Ray Review: Gothic Fantastico
Of all the elements that make up horror fiction it’s arguably the Gothic which remains the most reliably chilling. The atmosphere, the mystery, the ghosts. Tales of love and betrayal. Or greed and murder. All normally set in a big old house, which is as character in its own right. Stories as old as the …
Film Review – SEPA: Nuestro Señor de los Milagros
Prison is not meant to be a holiday camp but in some countries it’s more like a living hell. Where punishment is the order of the day and rehabilitation isn’t so much as an afterthought. Many of the worst ones are in countries where lawlessness and bribery are rampant. Not to mention good old political …
LFF Review: Jeong-sun
Growing up is never easy at the best of times but doing so in an era of smartphones, social media and unlimited data contracts must be an absolute nightmare. Our social interactions suddenly become very public. Any mistakes or rash spur of the moment decisions can easily be captured and shared. Especially if someone has …
Film Review: To Leslie
While Donald Trump’s rise to power can be attributed to many factors, it’s undeniable that the working-class, blue-collar heartlands of the United States of America had been ignored by Washington for decades. Indeed, they’re often stigmatised and labelled as ‘hillbillies’, uneducated or bigots by the New England political elite. Hollywood is especially complicit in stereotyping, …
Film Review: Dark Glasses
Now into his 80s, Dario Argento was one of the most visionary, distinctive and inventive filmmakers working in genre cinema during the 1970s and 1980s. While his output has slowed down somewhat over the years, he’s still writing and directing. Although he’s approached his subjects from slightly different angles, the Italian maestro’s output is instantly …