DVD/Blu-Ray Review
Blu-ray Review: L’avventura (Criterion Collection)
Most films have a very precise structure. There is a beginning, middle and an end. The first portion sets out to introduce the audience to the main character(s). The main section is where the story is contained and is normally a journey of some kind, whether that be emotional or physical. The finale is a …
DVD Review: Killer Dames: Two Gothic Thrillers by Emilio P Miraglia
Emilio P Miraglia certainly earned his stripes before moving behind the camera. The Italian director only made six films but spent almost two decades working behind the scenes on Italian horror and B-movies before stepping forward. Today, he’s best known by euro horror fans for the early gialli The Night Evelyn Came Out of the …
DVD Review – Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
There are few more recognisable names in country music than Glen Campbell. He’s been writing and performing music for over fifty years and released more than seventy albums. Indeed, he’s an iconic figure in Showbusiness and was the first person to win a Grammy in two different categories. In 2011 came the announcement that he …
DVD Review: Journey to the Shore (Masters of Cinema)
Kurosawa is a household name for film fans around the world, but Akira is not the only master auteur who possesses that surname. Kiyoshi Kurosawa made his name making creepy and unnerving horror films. Kairo is my favourite genre film of all time and Cure is also a fantastic slice of terror. In recent years …
DVD Review: The Last Command (Masters of Cinema)
Director Josef von Sternberg is best known for the films he made with Marlene Dietrich. Indeed, he’s often credited with being the catalyst behind her career. He cast the then unknown actress as his female lead in the first German talkie, The Blue Angel, which proved to be her big break. They went on to …
Blu-ray Review: In a Lonely Place (Criterion Collection)
Humphrey Bogart is undoubtedly one of the biggest Hollywood stars of all time. In a period when studios still made vehicles for stars, he was the biggest ticket. Even when the star system began to crumble after World War II, Bogie’s reputation and star power still remained. He still remains a cultural icon to this …
DVD Review: Battle for Sevastopol
It’s safe to say that popular history has long been the domain of white men. Whilst we still live in a patriarchal world, things have begun to change over the past decade when it comes to re-assessing our shared histories. Despite being heavily restricted, the role of women has generally been downplayed or ignored, especially …
DVD Review: A War
War is very simple in theory. Actions during conflict are governed by a huge book of rules, regulations and scenarios. All well and good on the training ground but in the heat of battle the rulebook can sometimes be thrown out of the window. There’s always a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ decisions but the correct choice …
DVD Review: Hard Tide
Gangsters, drug dealers and growing up in dysfunctional and anti-social families are the staple of low budget British dramas. Sadly, this generally leads to insipid, uninspiring and unoriginal sub-soap opera plots with soap opera actors. Directors Nathaniel Wiseman and Robert Osman skirt dangerously close to cliches in Hard Tide, but a strong central performance, some …
DVD Review: The Forgotten
Britain has a rich history of producing varied and gripping horror films. Hammer Films is undoubtedly the most famous UK production company, building a reputation of making high quality Gothic horror films between the 1950’s and 1970s. More recently, British successes include Under the Skin, Beberian Sound Studios and Kill List. Oliver Frampton’s directorial debut, …