Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: DreadOut
Whilst it’s hardly an everyday occurrence, it’s not unusual for siblings to make films together. In Asian cinema, Shaw Brothers was at one time a world-famous production company whilst more recently Oxide and Danny Pang have had hits with Bangkok Dangerous and the Eye films. Whilst the Mo brothers’ greatest success so far has been …
Blu-Ray Review: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
The current vogue with Hollywood studios seems to be music films, whether they are biopics or films based around a famous artist or band. In the last year we’ve been ‘treated to’ Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, Yesterday and Blinded by the Light. All huge box office smashes which seemed to resonate with people of a certain …
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 …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review – Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson
It’s not easy, or cheap, to make a film. A surprising as it might seem, we only normally get to see the best of the best in cinemas. Nowadays most either go straight to ‘download’ or disappear down the black hole of no distribution. However, digital technology means anyone can now make a movie. Back …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: We Are Little Zombies
If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know just how central the gaming culture is to the lives of (almost) three generations of young, and not so young, people. It’s pervasive and encroaches into almost every aspect of daily life. For his feature debut, Makoto Nagahisa chooses a structure which mimics that of a role-playing …
Film Review: Varda by Agnès
Whilst it has become customary to respond to the death of anyone even vaguely famous with a series of platitudes, in the case of Agnès Varda it was a huge loss to the world of cinema. She had a relentlessly inquisitive character, both of herself and anyone she came into contact with. A stalwart of …
Film Review: DeadTectives
Anyone of a certain age is likely to have a vivid memory of 31 October 1992. The BBC decided to air a very special live television experience to celebrate Halloween. Those who saw Ghostwatch were probably haunted by that experience. Whilst it was a spoof, it paved the way for paranormal television. The most famous …
Blu-ray Review: Lords of Chaos
Heavy metal music has received a bad rap over the years and at one time it was considered to be the devil’s music in many quarters. Amusingly, you’ll find that members of metal bands are quite often extremely shy and incredibly friendly. However, it is a form of music with a baffling and sometimes disturbing …
Fantasia Festival 2019 Review: Shadow
Whilst Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon introduced an unsuspecting world to the joys of wuxia at the start of the century, no one has done more to keep it in the public eye than Zhang Yimou. The Chinese director, made famous by Hero and House of Flying Daggers, has been a key proponent of this style …
Film Review: Gwen
Whilst the Industrial Revolution may have profoundly changed Britain’s position in the world, that doesn’t mean to say that everyone benefited. Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham and other major industrial centres flourished but it was largely the factory owners who got rich. This wealth didn’t necessarily stretch outside of major cities. Copper, steel and iron ore provided …