Eureka Entertainment
Blu-Ray Review: Bakumatsu Taiyō-Den
Today, there appears to be an increasing desire to rekindle some kind of mythical Golden Age. Nostalgia has risen as a way of combatting the depressing times we’re living in. It’s not a new phenomenon though. Indeed, man has seemingly been striving for something better for centuries. During the 1950s, Japan society despaired at their …
Blu-Ray Review: The Murderer Lives at Number 21
Whilst Henri-Georges Clouzot may have built up a reputation of being difficult to work with and temperamental, there’s no denying the quality of his films. With The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, he made two of the best films of the 1950s. His speciality was thrillers. However, his first film, The Murderer Lives at …
Film Review: Der Müde Tod
Undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in early cinema, Fritz Lang’s work defined many genres. Metropolis is the most important science-fiction film ever made. M became a forerunner to film noir. Spione remains a benchmark for espionage drama. His earlier films oscillated between expressionism and populist thrillers. Whilst nowhere near as well known, this …
Blu-ray Review: The Entity
The 1980s proved to be the defining decade for horror movies. It was also responsible for producing some of the most memorable characters and franchises in cinematic history. The beginning of the decade saw a particular focus on the paranormal. One of the most popular films of the time was Poltergeist. Sidney J. Furie’s The …
Film Review: Harmonium
When considering Japanese cinema, the first things which spring to mind are likely to be samurais, Yakuza or devils. However, the Japanese have produced some incredibly powerful and touching family dramas and character studies. Most notably the work of the late great Yasujirō Ozu (Tokyo Story, Late Spring, An Autumn Afternoon), but also Kurosawa’s Ikuru …
Blu-Ray Review: Hard Times
James Coburn and Charles Bronson are two of the most iconic faces of American post-war cinema. Both made their names in action films, but by 1975 Coburn was in the twilight of their career whilst Bronson still had some of his most profitable years ahead of him. Walter Hill’s directorial debut, Hard Times, was not …
Film Review: Suntan
It’s fair to say that Greece doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to cinema. There’s the occasional film which has been successful outside of Hellas, such as The Travelling Players, Stella or O Drakos, but these are few and far between. However, Greek cinema is currently having a really profitable period. This …
Blu-Ray Review: Drunken Master (Masters of Cinema)
Martial Arts films were a huge global phenomenon at the beginning of the 1970s. The market was flooded with hundreds of low budget, badly dubbed films from Hong Kong. The most iconic figure from this era was undoubtedly Bruce Lee, but after his tragic death the hunt was on for someone to fill his shoes. …
Film Review: The Olive Tree
Socially critical films fare best in times of economic strive and when the political right and nationalism are on the rise. We’re in the midst of one such period and now starting to see a rise in reactionary cinema. The most prominent film-makers currently doing this kind of work are the Dardenne Brothers in Belgium …
Blu-Ray Review: Two Rode Together
Whilst the buddy movie may seem like a fairly recent phenomenon, it’s a devise which has cut through genre and era since the early days of cinema. Westerns have seen several famous double-acts over the years. Most famously Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Wyatt Earp & ‘Doc’ Holliday, ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok & ‘Calamity Jane’ …