Eureka Classics
Blu-Ray Review: The Cat And The Canary/The Ghost Breakers
If you’re from a certain generation, Bob Hope was arguably the most quintessential American comedian. He made over fifty films in a career which spanned a number of mediums. Probably best known for his collaboration with Bing Crosby in the ‘Road’ films, he was an ever present in the entertainment industry for decades. His major …
Blu-ray Review: Full Alert
While he might not be as well known as the likes of Johnnie To, John Woo, Tsui Hark or Jackie Chan outside of his native Hong Kong, Ringo Lam made a number of great films and was highly influential on countless filmmakers. Probably best known for City on Fire, which was one of the inspirations …
Blu-Ray Review: The Sabata Trilogy
The ‘Wild West’ needs its heroes but they can come in some of the strangest guises. Especially in Spaghetti Westerns, where genre tropes and cliches are treated with disdain and often inverted. This irreverent approach has created some of the most iconic films and characters within the wider genre. While the figure of Clint Eastwood …
Blu-ray Review: Duel to the Death
When Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was released in 2000 it became a massive box office hit and captured the imagination of film fans across the world, spawning a number of imitators. However, its popularity didn’t come as a surprise to some. Ching Siu-tung, aka Tony Ching, had been working as a director and stunt coordinator …
Blu-ray Review: Wild Search
For decades now, Chow Yun-fat has been one of the most familiar faces in Hong Kong cinema. He started out in low-budget movies during the 1970s but first made his name in John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow a decade later. Also starring in the sequel and City on Fire, The Killer and Hard Boiled. Whilst …
Blu-Ray Review: Encounter of the Spooky Kind
Chinese folklore is full of stories of ghosts, supernatural creatures and monsters. These spirits and apparitions are largely malevolent and play a prominent role in popular culture. Cinema is no exception. The success of A Chinese Ghost Story sparked a surge of similar films (Mr Vampire, The Eye, Rigor Mortis etc) in Hong Kong. Humour …
Blu-Ray Review: Time and Tide
Tsui Hark has played a pivotal role in Hong Kong filmmaking since the 1980s as a producer, director and writer. He’s been heavily involved in some of the most iconic and impressive films to come out of the ‘Fragrant Harbour’. The likes of Once Upon a Time in China, A Chinese Ghost Story, A Better …
Blu-ray Review: The Dogs of War
For many, the enduring image they have of Christopher Walken is of his performance as Nick in Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter. Whilst the distinctive actor has been working consistently since 1969, you’ve probably never heard of half the films he’s been in. Often, to be honest, with good cause. Back in 1980, he starred …
Blu-ray Review: The Dark Half
I, for one, believe that humans aren’t born intrinsically good or evil. Whilst nature obviously plays some part, nurture has a much bigger influence on defining the kind of person we become. Our entire life can be determined by a handful of important decisions. Or one cruel twist of fate. George A. Romero played with …
Blu-ray Review: The Incident
Today, New York is a relatively clean and safe city. Indeed, it’s one of the safest major cities in the United States. This was the result of a number of initiatives which were introduced in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since 1991, crime rates in the Big Apple have been steadily dropping. Set a …