Classic Cinema
Blu-Ray Review: Klute
It should probably come as no surprise to anyone but when people discuss the greatest actors of the 1960s and 1970s they almost always talk about men. Whilst the patriarchal system is still going strong, we’ve come a long way over the proceeding decades. Jane Fonda is a prime example of an actress not generally …
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 …
Blu-ray Review: Kiss Me Deadly
It would be a severe understatement to say that Robert Aldrich was a bit of a maverick. As well as making some extraordinary cinema the American director was entirely skilled at getting on the wrong side of studios. He was a prolific risk taker and didn’t care who he pissed-off in the process. Aldrich was …
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: Asylum
Psychological horror continues to be the scariest and most compelling sub-genre because human imaginations can conjure up all manner of terrors. People have been labelled ‘insane’ for many reasons over the centuries with often little or nothing to do with their mental health. When there’s no logical explanation for something we naturally look for an …
Blu-Ray Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
There are very few, if any, directors who have worked in Hollywood with a record of success equal to or better than Elia Kazan. The émigré had a reputation of getting the best out of his actors. In a career spanning only nineteen films he was rewarded with five Academy Award nominations, as well as …
Blu-ray Review: Hold Back the Dawn
Whilst Donald Trump’s US-Mexico border wall might be the zenith of his crazy, bigoted and idiotic ideas, the issue of controlling migration from the south has been one haunting politicians for decades. The country has long been a beacon of hope for those looking for a better life and the promise of the ‘American dream’ …
Blu-ray Review: Odette
During World War II, the British set up the Special Operations Executive. This secretive organisation was established with the purpose of carrying out espionage, reconnaissance and sabotage in occupied Europe. Odette Sansom was a French-born British agent who was persuaded to join the SOE. She was awarded the George Cross for her contribution to the …
Blu-ray Review: I Was Monty’s Double
Major wars are not won or lost by one major battle or moment but more often than not through a number of smaller victories or defeats. Whilst most people are aware of the major events of World War II, it’s often the lesser known stories which provide the most fascination. D-Day has been portrayed on …
Blu-ray Review: Nightfall
Between the 1940s and 1960s one of the most popular film genres in American cinema was film noir. This mix of down at heel gumshoe and slightly shabby chic fitted perfectly into the penny-pinching philosophy of Columbia Studios. They embraced its style and went on to produce some of its greatest movies. The Big Heat, …