Arrow Academy
Blu-Ray Review: Giants and Toys
The Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952 and much of this period was devoted to rebuilding lost industrial capacity and moving towards a democratic society. Whilst poverty was still rife, the period of depression and despair which followed defeat had begun to turn into opportunity. Americanisation was rife and most trends originated from the …
Blu-Ray Review: Toto the Hero
When it comes to the powerhouses of global film-making Belgium would not be at the forefront of anyone’s mind. Indeed, I would guess that most people would struggle to name half a dozen films which hail from the low county. Outside of the more recent work of the Dardenne Brothers, you’d be struggling to find …
Blu-Ray Review: The Mad Fox
Tomu Uchida was a Japanese director who, despite the best attempts of critics, could never really be pigeonholed. His work oscillates wildly between nostalgic social realism and experiment theatrical exuberance. Despite struggling for recognition during his own lifetime, much of which can be attributed to World War II and working for an unfashionable Studio, hr …
Blu-Ray Review: Dark City
In a career which spanned over sixty years, Charlton Heston became an American icon and one of the most familiar cinematic faces. He has starred in over seventy films with the likes of Ben-Hur, El-Cid, Planet of the Apes, Touch of Evil, The Omega Man and The Ten Commandments ensuring he became a household name. …
Film Review: Aniara
Earth has only got finite resources and with rapid population growth, climate change and an increasingly unstable political landscape our time on this planet might be limited to decades, not centuries. At some stage, we’re likely to need a new home. One within reach but which can sustain human life, one way or another. When …
Blu-ray Review: Crime and Punishment
Some actors have a distinctive screen presence. The ability to send a chill down your spine with just a look or a few carefully chosen words. There were none better at the art of menace than Peter Lorre. The Hungarian-born actor, who later relocated to Hollywood, made his name in German cinema; most notably in …
Blu-Ray Review: Demonlover
Olivier Assayas has always been a writer and director overflowing with ideas. Since his directorial debut Disorder in 1986, the Frenchman has consistently produced challenging and interesting films. However, they didn’t always come together to make a cohesive whole. With Personal Shopper and Clouds of Sils Maria he’s now proving to be one of the …
Blu-Ray Review: The Big Clock
When it comes to actors with a huge presence, Charles Laughton was unmistakably a heavyweight. Theatrically trained, the West End led to Broadway and then eventually Hollywood. He made a huge impression in films such as The Private Life of Henry VIII, Mutiny on the Bounty, Jamaica Inn and The Big Clock. The latter, directed …
Blu-Ray Review: Khrustalyov, My Car!
I don’t think any modern director has painted a portrait of a living Hell quite so starkly and disquietingly as Aleksei German. His final film, Hard to be a God, was entirely unsettling in its depiction of an alternative reality/alien Medieval horrorscape. Like many of his eastern European colleagues, German became a victim of a …
Blu-Ray Review: Mélo
Whilst cinema and theatre have often been pitted as ardent foes, the big screen owes the stage a debt of honour. So many of the most popular films ever made were initially written for the stage, it would be foolhardy to even think about listing examples. Although the popularity and influence of playwrights has quietly …