DVD/Blu-Ray Review
Blu-Ray Review: The Magic Flute
2018 marks the centenary of the birth of one of the greatest film directors of all time. Very few film-makers can claim to have had such a profound influence on cinema as Ingmar Bergman. There’s no film student in the world who won’t be familiar with his work. No cinephile who doesn’t consider him a …
Blu-Ray Review: La Chinoise
After making some of the most iconic films of the French new wave, including Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, Le Mépris and Bande à Part, Jean-Luc Godard decided to move away from traditional film-making. At the end of the 1960s, for just over a decade, he made staunchly political films which reflected his Maoist sensibilities and …
Blu-ray Review: Neon Bull
The fortunes of the Brazilian film industry seem to be in a continuous flux. Whilst Brazil is a country which has produced memorable works of cinema since the 1930s, undoubtedly it was in the 1960s when they had their richest period. The Given Word, Barren Lives, Entranced Earth and Black God, White Devil were only …
Blu-Ray Review: The Whispering Star/The Sion Sono
Sion Sono must be one of the hardest working directors currently ploughing his own unique and occasionally unwanted furrow in Japanese cinema. His films are usually, without fail, loud, brash, confrontational and unsettling. He revels in bright colours, bloodshed and a taste for the perverse. All these factors make his new film so unexpected and …
DVD Review: Threads
We live in scary and unsettling times. Along with the usual suspects of power crazy dictators in charge of small nations around the world, we appear to have egotistical maniacs running both Russia and America. It’s not exactly the first time we’ve been in this kind of position, but it doesn’t make it any less …
Blu-ray Review: Killer Klowns from Outer Space
Are we alone? The eternal question which has occupied humans for centuries. In the 1950s, the boom is science-fiction books and films, followed by interest in the space race, sparked the imaginations of a new generation. When considering what extra terrestrials will look like, the most popular notion at the time was that of little …
DVD Review: Terrifier
Coulrophobia is persistent and irrational fear of clowns. It’s a phobia that seems to affect many more people than you’d think. Whilst it might be an illogical fear, clowns have been a part of genre cinema for decades. Pennywise is undoubtedly the most famous example, but films such as Killjoy, Killer Clowns from Out of …
DVD Review: Song of Granite
Ireland is a country steeped in a long and fertile history of traditions, culture and storytelling. It has produced some of the most inspiring, creative and talented artists. Integral to all this is the Irish language. Traditionally, stories were passed from one generation to the next through storytelling and song. Whilst many of the customs …
DVD Review: Score: A Film Music Documentary
Never underestimate the vital role music plays in any film. A score can make or break a movie. It can elevate a moment or inject emotion into a scene. One misstep can destroy tension which has been meticulously built or completely pull the audience out of the moment. Some of the most memorable moments in …
Blu-Ray Review: Amazon Women on the Moon
We have so many channels at our disposal now, choosing what to watch can be a dizzying, anxious and frustrating nightmare. Just one touch of a button can take the viewer to so many different places. However, it often feels like there’s never anything good to watch. Turn the clock back to the 1980s, and …