DVD/Blu-Ray Review
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, …
Blu-Ray Review: The Andromeda Strain
If science is correct, we are not alone. The chances of Earth being the only planet in the universe to support life is far too unlikely to even contemplate. What shape and size they may take, however, is anyone’s guess. Given our genesis, there’s a good chance any ‘being’ we may encounter will be at …
Blu-Ray Review: The Blood on Satan’s Claw
When discussing British horror films produced in the 1960s and ‘70s, thoughts naturally turn towards Hammer or Amicus. However, whilst the name might not be as well know, Tigon or Tigon British Film Productions were responsible for some of the most memorable genre cinema of the time. Witchfinder General is undoubtedly their most famous production …
Blu-Ray Review: La Ronde
There’s a strange and quite frankly farcical notion that in the ‘good old days’ everyone held hands until after marriage and promiscuity was something which only happened in the shadows. Sure, your gender and social class had a huge bearing on your ability to ‘play the field’, but it wasn’t the be all and end …
Blu-Ray Review: The Woman in the Window
Whilst it might be a slightly tender subject, when a man reaches a certain age he often yearns for his more youthful and carefree years. A midlife crisis can take many shapes and forms but it usually involves one or all of dressing stupidly, chasing ‘girls’ young enough to be your daughter, taking up an …
Blu-Ray Review: Beautiful Boy
At the ripe old age of twenty-three, Timothée Chalamet has already cemented his place as one of America’s brightest young actors. After starting out in TV, a few small roles in major films and larger roles in indie films (notably the unfairly overlooked One and Two) didn’t prepare the world for his breakout in 2017. …
DVD Review: The Quake
There’s an annoying tendency for Hollywood disaster movies to increasingly push the limits of realism and believability. The guiding principle is that bigger is better and the more devastation and destruction the more excitement there will be. Whether you agree with this or not is I guess a matter of opinion, but for me, at …
Blu-ray Review: Room at the Top
The end of World War II was meant to herald a turning point for British society and the institutionally ingrained class system which harked back to feudal times. In reality, whilst things did start to change, in many ways the rich and privileged just became better off. Young men returned from war to find themselves …
Blu-Ray Review: The Night of the Generals
It may come as a surprise to many but there were five different attempts to kill Adolph Hitler during the Third Reich. The first was an obsessed Swiss college student in 1938. This was followed by a beer hall bomb, death in a brandy bottle, a suicide mission and a conspiracy of officers. The latter …
Blu-ray Review: November
Eastern Europe is an area of the world which is rife with folklore, legend, myth and fairy tale. These stories are more often than not as bleak and unforgiving as the stark living condition and bitterly inclement climate. It’s fair to say that 19th century Estonia was probably not a great time and place to …