DVD/Blu-Ray Review
Blu-ray Review: Blow Out
While John Travolta may still be best-known for roles in Saturday Night Fever and Grease back in the 1970s, his career underwent an unlikely transformation less than two decades later. Largely thanks to Quentin Tarantino casting him in Pulp Fiction, he found himself being offered a number of more action orientated parts. However, this didn’t …
Blu-Ray Review: El Topo
Many films claim to be unusual, different or just plain strange. Profess to be totally removed from anything we’ve ever seen before. Sadly, very few live up to this billing. Often borrowing wholesale from other movies or pale imitations of someone else’s imagination. This cannot be said for anything Alejandro Jodorowsky has made. He’s one …
Blu-Ray Review: Beauty and the Beast
In the West, much of our knowledge of fairy tales comes courtesy of Disney. This is undoubtedly the case with Beauty and the Beast, their 1991 version of Belle and the Beast’s story becoming a box office smash and popular favourite. Replacing the critically acclaimed Jean Cocteau version from decades earlier. However, this is only …
Film Review – Luz: The Flower of Evil
Whilst much of the horror we see in our multiplexes comes from Hollywood, having a big budget or huge marketing campaign doesn’t necessarily make it any good. In fact, the opposite is often the case. Although harder to find, South America, as a continent, is beginning to produce some great genre cinema. The likes of …
Blu-ray Review: Bringing Up Baby
Whilst he might not be as well-known today as some of his peers, Howard Hawks is undoubtedly one of the greatest America filmmakers of his generation. What sets him apart from most was his willingness and indeed eagerness to work across a number of genres. The popularity of the likes of Rio Bravo (western), The …
Blu-ray Review: The Babadook
If all you had to go on were the countless upbeat social media posts and photo galleries we see every day, parenting might seem like a walk in the park chock full of magic moments. That every day will bring a new and amazing revelation about your beautiful, bright and creative little genius. Spoiler alert: …
Blu-Ray Review: The Day of the Dolphin
Mike Nichols began his career behind the camera with a bang. Like his former improv partner Elaine May, he immediately made a big splash when he swapped the stage for the screen. His debut, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, was nominated for thirteen Oscars, eventually winning five. He went on to make a number of …
Blu-ray Review: Vengeance Trials
Roared on by the success of Sergio Leonne in Hollywood, a host of Italian directors followed is his wake; making a raft of Spaghetti Westerns during the 1960s. Whilst similar in many ways to their American cousins these films revelled in turning genre cliches and tropes on their head. Instead of the likes of John …
Blu-Ray Review: Mirror
Andrei Tarkovsky is without doubt the greatest Russian filmmaker of all time. He’s certainly the first name that comes to mind when discussing the movies of the Motherland. Despite making less than ten films in a career which spanned three decades, he left an indelible mark on the history of world cinema. Whilst the likes …
Blu-ray Review: Wild Search
For decades now, Chow Yun-fat has been one of the most familiar faces in Hong Kong cinema. He started out in low-budget movies during the 1970s but first made his name in John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow a decade later. Also starring in the sequel and City on Fire, The Killer and Hard Boiled. Whilst …