Criterion Collection
Blu-Ray Review: Mildred Pierce (Criterion Collection)
Female actors have always had a rough ride in Hollywood. Indeed, until relatively recently opportunities for actresses in leading roles have been few and far between. However, if you look at the Oscar nominations this year, we’re now at a stage where you could argue that it’s the men who are now struggling to keep …
Blu-ray Review: His Girl Friday (Criterion Collection)
First produced in 1928, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s Broadway play Front Page revolutionised comedy, both on stage and on the big screen. The intricate plotting and rapid-fire dialogue has influenced countess writers and directors. It has been adapted for cinema audiences on several occasions, both eponymously by Lewis Milestone and Billy Wilder, and in …
Blu-Ray Review: Black Orpheus (Criterion Collection)
When Black Orpheus won the Palme d’Or in 1959 ahead of the likes of 400 Blows and Hiroshima Mon Amour, it was a surprise to the say the least. In retrospect, it was an entirely foolish decision. However, Marcel Camus’ film was arguably the first to really showcase Rio’s Carnival and introduced bossa nova to …
Blu-Ray Review: The Squid and the Whale (Criterion Collection)
When it comes to telling contemporary stories of New York life there’s no one better than Brooklynite Noah Baumbach. His debut, Kicking and Screaming is a semi-biographical account of his time at colleague. Despite a sojourn in LA where he notably made Greenberg, the Big Apple has been a vibrant backdrop for films such as …
Blu-ray Review: The Royal Tenenbaums (Criterion Collection)
There are few, if any, living directors who have such a large cult fanbase as Wes Anderson. His work is epitomised by its unique visual style, unusual plotting, and recurring cast members. The big breakthrough came with Rushmore, but he subsequently received widespread praise for The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Moonrise Kingdom and The …
Blu-Ray Review: Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (Criterion Collection)
Akira Kurosawa is widely considered one of the greatest film-makers in Japanese cinematic history. In 1990, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honoured his contribution to worldwide cinema. He’s synonymous with war/samurai films such as Ran, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress and Yojimbo. However, his other works, whilst less well …
Blu-Ray Review: Punch Drunk Love (Criterion Collection)
Amongst the film-going and critical intelligentsia, Paul Thomas Anderson is vying with Terrence Malick for the title of greatest living American auteur. During the late ‘90s, Boogie Nights and Magnolia defined contemporary film-making. Every new release seems like a media event, with Inherent Vice, The Master and There Will Be Blood all walking away with …
Blu-ray Review: Day For Night
Of all the film directors who have ever lived there’s probably none with a greater love of cinema than François Truffaut. The great French auteur simply lived, breathed and ate film. As one of the greatest directors of the 20th Century and a pioneer of the French New Wave he helped define modern cinema. In …
Blu-ray Review: Don’t Look Back
Musical documentaries tend to fall into two camps. Normally, they’re retrospective stories of band or artists, using interviews and archive footage. There’s also the concert film, which nowadays tend to feature the most main stream ‘pop’ular bands. In Don’t Look Back D.A. Pennebaker follows a young Bob Dylan on his 1965 tour of England. It’s …
DVD Review: The Emigrants/The New Land (Criterion)
In every country there is a book which every schoolchild knows or an author who’s embedded in the fabric of the culture. The Emigrants Suit, written by Wilhelm Moberg, comprises four books (The Emigrants, Unto a Good Land, The Settlers and The Last Letters Home). The novels are classics and considered to be amongst the …