Classic Cinema
Blu-Ray Review: Kagemusha
Tatsuya Nakadai was one of the best known and most celebrated Japanese actors of his era. He’s probably best known for his partnership with director Masaki Kobayashi, for whom he starred in The Human Condition trilogy, Samurai Rebellion, Kwaidan and many others. However, he also worked with most of the generation’s greatest filmmakers from the …
Blu-Ray Review: State Secret
Douglas Fairbanks made his name in silent cinema for a number of swashbuckling roles, including Robin Hood, The Mark of Zorro and The Thief of Baghdad. His son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., was in many ways a chip off the old block. However, whilst being cast in several action roles, including The Fighting O’Flynn, much of …
Blu-Ray Review: The Ascent
Cinema, like almost every other walk of life, has been a male dominated world since the first ever motion pictures in the late nineteenth century. Whilst it’s true of most areas of the film industry, this disparity has been particularly marked behind the camera. Indeed, until relatively recently, there were few female directors who the …
Blu-ray Review: Columbia Noir #2
Film noir made up a large part of Hollywood filmmaking during the 1940s and 1950s. Whilst these stylish, cynical and melodramatic crime dramas were popular at the time, it was only decades later that many were critically reappraised. This is especially the case with the many ‘B’ movies released during the era. For every big …
Blu-Ray Review: Charade
Audrey Hepburn is one of the most recognisable faces to ever grace the big screen. The elfin Brit is as well known for being a Hollywood heartthrob as she is for her abilities in front of the camera, which is incredibly unfair. While her role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s remains her most …
DVD Review: The Man Who Laughs
Released by Eureka Entertainment, this classic silent film garners a new restoration in 4K as a part of the label’s ongoing Masters of Cinema series
Blu-Ray Review: Mothra
Ever since we abandoned our caves, humans have apparently been fascinated by stories of exotic monsters and fantastic beasts. Whilst today, mass global travel and the internet means that these myths and legends have been roundly debunked, that doesn’t mean that enthusiasm for the unknown has waned. Stories of the Yeti, Nessie or Bigfoot still …
Blu-Ray Review: Five Easy Pieces
During the 1970s, there were a number of great American actors who both captivated cinema audiences and won a string of awards. Jack Nicholson was up there at, or near, the top. There are few who could claim to have had a stronger decade than the New Jerseyan. The likes of One Flew Over the …
Blu-Ray Review: Show Boat (1936)
Whilst he was only actively making films for just over a decade, James Whale played a pivotal role in the development of genre cinema in America. Influenced by early European expressionist cinema, the West Countryman made some of the most iconic early horror films, including The Old Dark House, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and …
Blu-Ray Review: Lady Eve
Barbara Stanwyck was one of the most iconic actors of her generation. In a glittering career which spanned five decades, she won five Academy Awards and became one of the most recognisable faces of Hollywood. A favourite of the likes of Fritz Lang and Cecil B. DeMille, she was noted for her confident and striking …