DVD/Blu-Ray Review
DVD Review: Obvious Child
There are very few opportunities in feature films for female actors to play lead roles. Last year, there were some great films who had an actress as the main protagonist. These included Ida, Violette, Two Days, One Night, Under the Skin and, of course, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Female comedians are also gradually beginning to …
DVD Review: Wakolda (The German Doctor)
One of the lesser known scandals of World War II was the fact that many Nazis escaped to South America. It’s believed that some are still living there now. The Angel of Death, Josef Mengele, lived in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil after fleeing Germany in 1949, until his death thirty years later. This was achieved …
DVD Review: God’s Pocket
The sad death of Philip Seymour Hoffman last year deprived Hollywood of one of the most robust and powerful actors working in modern cinema. It was roles in two very different kinds of film which quickly made him a firm favourite of mine. In State and Main and The Big Lebowski he demonstrated a comedic …
DVD Review: Alleluia
Serial Killers have fascinated writers and directors for decades. They’ve thrown up some of the most memorable characters to grace the big screen; whether it’s the chianti drinking Hannibal Lecter or the professionally tailored Patrick Bateman. Double acts are far less prevalent, but in Alleluia Fabrice Du Welz updates the case of “The Lonely Hearts …
DVD Review: The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq is an award-winning author, poet and filmmaker. He’s probably best known for his novel Atomised, which was adapted to film and won the Golden Bear at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival. He’s a controversial author who’s faced accusations of obscenity, racism, misogyny and Islamophobia. He’s also notable for his press stunts, often leading …
DVD Review: Gett: the Trial of Viviane Amsalem
The characters of Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) and Elisha (Simon Abkarian) will be familiar to some. They have previously appeared in the Elkabetz brothers’ To Take a Wife and The Seven Days. The former followed Viviane through her unhappy marriage, whilst the latter focussed on time spent apart. In Gett: the Trial of Viviane Amsalem proceedings move …
DVD Review: A Spell To Ward Off Darkness
Ben Rivers is an experimental British film maker and Fine Art graduate, best known for his avant-garde documentary Two Years at Sea. He takes the raw image and transforms it into magical worlds. Ben Russell is also an experimental film-maker, who focusses on the very essence of cinema and the cinematic narrative. Their shared interest …
DVD Review: The Possibilities Are Endless
Edywn Collins has been making music for over three decades. After forming Orange Juice in 1979 they enjoyed several years of success and even managed to break the UK top ten with Rip it Up. The Glaswegian band split in ’85 but there influence on other musicians can still be seen today. Collins himself went …
DVD Review: New Directors From Japan
Japan has a rich and colourful cinematic history and produced one of the greatest directors of all time: Yasujirō Ozu. They have an animator to outstrip anyone in the West in the shape of Hayao Miyazaki and the beautiful films of Studio Ghibli. That’s without even mentioning the inimitable Akira Kurosawa. Since the turn of …
DVD Review: Spione (Masters of Cinema)
Fritz Lang was the leading light of German expressionist cinema. His most successful period of film making was in Germany under the Weimar Republic. During this period he made such classics as Metropolis, M and Dr.Mabuse the Gambler. His pioneering vision has influenced many who followed and he continued making films after he’d emigrated to …