Criterion Collection
Blu-ray Review: The Cat People
Whilst his name will not be familiar to many, Val Lewton had a profound influence on the way movies are made. Starting with Jack Tourneur’s The Cat People, he produced a number of (mostly low budget) films for RKO Pictures. Indeed, The Cat People ended up saving the studio from financial ruin after a run …
DVD Review: The Samurai Trilogy (Criterion Collection)
Japan has a rich history and reputation for being one of the most significant, diverse and thought-provoking countries when it comes to cinema. In terms of film-making, the socio-economic climate and political landscape are never far away. The 1950s were undoubtedly the golden era, with the films of Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa and Masaki Kobayashi …
Blu-Ray Review: The In-Laws
Modern cinema is littered with gross-out and offensive comedies. We’ve become studio-fed by Apatow, Rogen, Rudd, Mottola, Macfarlane and the like. And whilst it’s brilliant to see actresses finally being cast in starring roles, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the intelligence of the writing is any greater. Films such as Arthur Hiller’s 1974 comedy In-Laws …
Blu-ray Review: Dr Strangelove: or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Stanley Kubrick is without doubt one of the greatest film makers of the 20th Century. Whilst the image of Alex or his fellow droogs causing havoc in A Clockwork Orange remain the most iconic, films such as Full Metal Jacket, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining and Spartacus are as feted today as they were …
Blu-ray Review: Burroughs: The Movie (Criterion Collection)
William S Burroughs was one of the leading players of the Beat Generation. Along with Allen Ginsberg, Herbert Huncke and Jack Kerouac they changed the narrative around 1950s America for a whole generation. Burroughs himself is best known for his book Naked Lunch, which was published in 1959. Throughout his life he battled with heroin …
Blu-ray Review: Gilda (Criterion Collection)
In the golden days of Hollywood films some of the most bankable stars were those who were given the label of ‘Screen Goddess’. The Studios’ response to the horrors of World War II was glamour, and during the ’40s and ’50s the likes of Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Lana Turner set screens …
Blu-ray Review: Here Comes Mr Jordan (Criterion Collection)
The story of defying death and getting the chance to start over is one which has fascinated audiences since the introduction of talking films. Whilst the subject has been covered extensively, most notably in A Matter of Life and Death and Heaven Can Wait, the first film to consider this storyline was released by Columbia …
DVD Review: Overlord (Criterion Collection)
World War II has been depicted on screen in many ways. Often the most affecting images are ones which appear in documentaries such as Night and Fog and Night Will Fall. However, they don’t always have the lasting emotional impact of narrative features like Come and See, The Thin Red Line or Saving Private Ryan. …
Blu-ray Review: L’avventura (Criterion Collection)
Most films have a very precise structure. There is a beginning, middle and an end. The first portion sets out to introduce the audience to the main character(s). The main section is where the story is contained and is normally a journey of some kind, whether that be emotional or physical. The finale is a …
Blu-ray Review: In a Lonely Place (Criterion Collection)
Humphrey Bogart is undoubtedly one of the biggest Hollywood stars of all time. In a period when studios still made vehicles for stars, he was the biggest ticket. Even when the star system began to crumble after World War II, Bogie’s reputation and star power still remained. He still remains a cultural icon to this …