DVD/Blu-Ray Review
DVD Review: Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle
Whilst the availability of social housing has been diminishing at an alarming rate, the stock that remains becoming increasingly run-down and neglected. Let’s face it, it takes something like the tragedy of Grenfell Tower for most people to stop and listen. Indeed, the left-leaning news outlets have been more concerned with affordable housing; almost entirely …
DVD Review: Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
Richard Gere is one of those actors who acquired the label of ‘heartthrob’ in his prime but has managed to reinvent himself in his august years. Whilst he was one of the most bankable male leads in his early career (Pretty Woman/Breathless/American Gigolo) he’s become a safe pair of hands in later life (Hachi: A …
DVD Review: Replace
The quest for eternal youth is one which has fascinated humankind from time immemorial. The multi-million-dollar market in cosmetics and beauty products has morphed into an ocean of anti-aging and skin replenishing therapies. Not to mention medication, herbal supplements and all manner of weird and wonderful treatments and plans. In Norbert Keil’s new film Replace, …
Blu-Ray Review: Miracle Mile
Whilst the Cold War may have begun shortly after the end of World War II, it was during the 1960s and 1980s where tensions were at their height. This is reflected in the cinema of the time. The ‘60s saw films such as Dr. Strangelove, The War Game and Fail Safe whilst the ‘80s produced …
Blu-Ray Review: The Howling
Werewolf movies have become a popular sub-genre of horror cinema. Whilst they’ve been knocking around for a while, it probably wasn’t until the 1980’s that they seeped into popular culture (who can forget Teen Wolf?). Whilst not the most cinematic subject, An American Werewolf in London, Ginger Snaps and Dog Soldiers demonstrated what could be …
Blu-Ray Review: The Party
When looking back at films you didn’t see first time around, it’s fair to say that some age better than others. A case in point is The Party. A film released in 1968 by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers. Sellers, a legendary comic actor who had lost his way after starting to believe his …
DVD Review: Freehold
There was a time when moving to London seemed quite attractive. Granted, it has always been ridiculously expensive and the thought of that commute doesn’t inspire anyone, but it’s one of the most exciting and vibrant capital cities in the world. However, over the last few years the balance has tipped. Affordable housing is all …
Blu-Ray Review: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Without a shadow of a doubt, Steven Spielberg is the most innovative, exciting and successful living blockbuster director. He’s made some of the most iconic films in the history of cinema. Jaws, The Indiana Jones movies, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan; the list seems endless. It is perhaps his science fiction films which …
DVD Review: Cardinal
Every time you look at a TV schedule there seems to be another new crime drama. The huge rise in popularity of the genre was undoubtedly sparked by the wave of Scandinavian noir. Since then, we’ve seen a wealth of crime drama from around the world. It’s fair to say that Canada has hardly been …
Blu-Ray Review: The Legend of the Holy Drinker
Whilst he’s best known for playing a replicant in Blade Runner or a mysterious black knight in Ladyhawke, Rutger Hauer has had an eclectic and highly durable career in front of the camera. Whether playing a psychopath in The Hitcher, a Concentration Camp prisoner in Escape from Sobibor or a mercenary captain in Flesh and …