Film
Blu-Ray Review: Next Stop, Greenwich Village
By the time Los Angeles became a mecca for young Americans wanting to make their name in the film industry, New York had been attracting aspiring thespians for decades. While Hollywood is incredibly competitive, it’s probably even harder to break into Broadway; given the relative number of films which get made compared to plays. In …
Film Review: Earwig
There are many elements which go into making a successful film. While cinematography always features highly in critical assessments, some of the other technical components are often overlooked. Unless they’ve been done badly, that is. Good sound design, for Instance, can make a film stand out from the crowd. Especially if your audience has the …
Film Review: The Roundup
With the recent successes of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite and Netflix’s Squid Games there has been a huge spike in interest in Korean cinema and TV. The quality of the ‘South’s’ film output comes as no surprise to those of us who had been enjoying it for decades. The likes of Memories of Murder, I Saw …
Film Review: The Passenger
There’s nothing quite like a road movie to bring people together, or tear them apart. Placing several different characters within the confines of a vehicle and forcing them to try and get along. The claustrophobia of being cooped up together as they head for a shared destination. All with their own individual worries and concerns, …
Blu-Ray Review: The Razor’s Edge
During the 1920s, and the following three decades, matinée idols played an important role in Hollywood. Almost always male, these stars were known for their debonaire good looks and normally cast as romantic leads or secondary leads. While it was often used as a derogatory term, there were many actors who rose above this tag. …
Blu-Ray Review: Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn is one of the most fascinating of modern auteurs. There are few directors working in cinema over the past thirty years who have such a recognisable and distinctive style. The Danish filmmaker first came to prominence with his Pusher trilogy before going on to work in Hollywood. Making some of the most …
Film Review: Poser
Unless you’re really into new music, you probably don’t realise that most major cities have their own insular music scenes. These can be big or small but tend to have their own ecosystems and microenvironments. They are usually full of cliques and can seem intimidating and difficult to penetrate from the outside. A young woman …
Blu-Ray Review: High Crime
Tales of good versus evil are almost as old as mankind itself. The earliest writings often refer to such conflicts and most major religions have this message at their core. In today’s popular culture this normally metamorphosises into superheroes versus villains or cops versus robbers. The latter has fascinated people for decades. The cat and …
Film Review: A Sexplanation
Sex is not a subject we like to talk about. Especially not with our families. While it might crop up frequently with friends, that’s not to say we’re comfortable discussing the nuts and bolts. Or holding court on our deepest phobias, foibles or fantasies. The way we receive, and the amount of, information available about …
Film Review: Fortune Favours Lady Nikuko
Food plays an important role in Japanese culture. In many ways, a meal can be as much a ritual as simply performing a vital function of survival. Take sushi chefs, for example. It’s a culinary skill which is as much an art form as it is an occupation. It can take up to ten years …