DVD/Blu-Ray Review
DVD Review: Fruit of Paradise
Communism has been inadvertently responsible for a raft of great films and brilliant directors. Despite heavy censorship under the Soviet regime, the Czech New Wave was responsible for some of the more outlandish, experimental and visionary films of the 1960s. These films were epitomised by their absurdity, dark humour and focus on the ordinary concerns …
DVD Review: What We Do In The Shadows
When done well, comedy and horror can be a fantastic combination. The Evil Dead sequels are probably the best example of this, with Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi creating one of the biggest cult horror franchises. New Zealand has a fine pedigree in this area, notably Peter Jackson’s early work: Braindead, Bad Taste and Meet …
DVD Review: Han Gong-ju
South Korean cinema’s fortune seems to fluctuate like the wind. Around the middle of the last decade it was the Asian powerhouse with international hits such as The Host, A Tale of Two Sisters, Oldboy and Memories of Murder. However, independent films have historically fared much worse, with the films of Kim Ki-duk and Lee …
Blu-Ray Review: Sweet Smell Of Success
Celebrating and championing “The American Dream” was big business in post-war Hollywood. Whether it was tales of rags to riches success or just the ability for any man (and it was all men) to make their fortune through hard work and application, audiences couldn’t get enough of these heart-warming, patriotic tales. There were notable detractors …
DVD Review: The Grandmaster
Wong Kar-wai is the greatest living Hong Kong auteur, who made his international breakthrough with the stunning Chungking Express in the ’90s. He’s probably best known for the multiple award-winning In The Mood For Love. However, whilst not as widely known, Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time and Happy Together are just a few …
DVD Review: Pelo Malo
The innocence if childhood is often used in cinema to tackle serious social issues. The presence of a child can often add another level of potency and emotion to a film. Whether it’s a tale of poverty such as The Rocket, exploitation and power in The White Ribbon, or fascism in the fantastical Pan’s Labyrinth, …
DVD Review: Wooden Crosses ( Masters of Cinema)
Whilst war was mainly glorified in early cinema (often in the name of propaganda), there’s always been a strong seam of pacifistic film making. The most famous of examples are Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion and Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet On The Western Front. Whilst anti-war films really came into their own during the Vietnam …
DVD Review: The Drop
American crime dramas have occupied a lot of Hollywood’s time over the years. However, the gangster films of The Godfather and Goodfellas are largely in the past, replaced by a new breed of criminal. Gone are the Italian Mafiosi. They’ve been replaced by gangs from Eastern Europe. Go to a cinema nowadays, and more often …
DVD Review: Man of the West (Masters of Cinema)
Westerns are a much maligned cinematic genre, but once upon a time they were the Hollywood equivalent of modern action films. Today, we’re often left with the image of an overacting John Wayne swaggering round a town full of tumbleweed. However, there’s been some classic westerns over the years, with Once Upon a Time in …
DVD Review: The Skeleton Twins
Cinema is one of the best mediums for providing the feel and attitude of an era. Take the ’80s for instance. The sense of rebellion was personified in the Breakfast Club and the trials and tribulations of impending adulthood by Empire Records. Toss Stand By Me and Lost Boys into the mix, and you get …