Incoming: By the Time it Gets Dark
Taking the Thammasat student massacre of 1976 as its starting point, By the Time it Gets Dark intricately weaves together the lives of various characters in this beguiling and dizzying second feature by Anocha Suwichakornpong. The lives of a documentary filmmaker and her subject, a former a student activist, a waitress who constantly drifts from …
Film Review: Freedom for the Wolf
Despite the dire straits of the current political situations in ‘First-World’ nations around the world, we generally take our freedoms for granted. Freedoms of speech, religion, belief etc are just parts of everyday life. This is not the case for large parts of the world. With the ‘Arab Spring’ and recent conflicts in the Middle …
Incoming: My Cousin Rachel
A dark romance, My Cousin Rachel tells the story of a young Englishman who plots revenge against his mysterious, beautiful cousin, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms. My Cousin Rachel is in cinemas from today.
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: Armed with Faith
Since 9/11, the US and most of the Western world have waged a ‘War on Terror’ across much of the Middle East. This has taken form as wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Libya, or in tactical and drone strikes across a swathe of nations. Whilst we’ve seen a growing number of terror attacks in …
Incoming: The Mummy
Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension. From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The …
Blu-Ray Review: One-Eyed Jacks
Marlon Brando was one of a kind. As an actor, no one else possessed the talent, charisma and sheer presence of the man. Along with James Dean and Montgomery Clift, he made up a posse of 1950s American actors who exuded a mix of sensitivity and raw violent emotion. His performances in On the Waterfront, …
Film Review: Ask the Sexpert
It wasn’t so long ago that sex education was nigh on inexistent in both America and the UK. Whilst we’ve come a long way, there are many who wish to take us back to the 1950s. And although it could be argued that there’s too much ‘information’ in Western magazines and websites aimed at teens, …
Film Review: Berlin Syndrome
There a few things more frightening than the thought of being held captive. All alone and your life in the hands of a deranged psychopath. Cinema has revelled and revolted in this sub-genre. These films range from the disgusting (Hostel), the bizarre (Salo, Black Snake Moan), the terrifying (Audition), to the tremendous (Misery). Berlin Syndrome, …
Incoming: Norman
life in the margins of New York City power and money, a would-be operator dreaming up financial schemes that never come to fruition. As he has nothing real to offer, Norman strives to be everyone’s friend, but his incessant networking leads him nowhere. Always on the lookout for someone willing to pay attention to him, …