DVD/Blu-Ray Review
DVD Review: Stop Making Sense
There are very few bands which combine the artistic ethos, lasting appeal, critical integrity and the reputation for live shows as Talking Heads did. David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison achieved almost cult-like status over a 25 year period until they disbanded in 1991. However, they were at the height of their …
DVD Review: Le Pont du Nord (Masters of Cinema)
Outside of mother/daughter relationships you seldom find two female leads in mainstream cinema. This thankfully seems to be changing, albeit far too slowly, with Paul Feig leading the way in actually giving female actresses good starring roles. ‘World’ and independent cinema has generally been more liberal, but there are few double acts as convincing as …
DVD Review: Technotise: Edit & I
Ever since Akira became a huge hit, futuristic sci-fi animation has proved popular both in Japan and in the West. There have been some great examples of forward thinking and invention including Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade, Cowboy Bebop, Avalon and particularly Ghost in the Shell. Whilst most films come out of East Asia, there …
DVD Review: Best of Enemies
It is difficult to believe now but the advent of television was once believed as a huge step forward for the intellectual good of a country. This was particularly the case in America. In 1968 two heavyweight intellectuals were hired by the struggling ABC network to front their coverage of the Republican and Democratic conventions. …
DVD Review: Outlander Season 1
With the advent of online streaming services there’s been a whole new market for new TV shows. Netflix is probably the best known in the UK but Amazon Prime has also made a big splash in the market. One of its most successful forays has been Outlander, which is an adaptation of the first book …
DVD Review: The Nightmare
Have you ever experienced real horror? That’s what a taxi driver said to me. It was in the wee hours after a horror film festival. As he told me about his cousin, an Afghan chief, I expected it to be my last night on earth. It wasn’t (obviously). Real life can often be much more …
DVD Review: Slow West
Westerns can often be formulaic and follow very similar paths. Traditionally this has been the case but with the resurgence of the genre in the last few years they’ve evolved into different kinds of parables. In John Maclean’s debut film, Slow West, he takes an offbeat approach to the subject. What on the face of …
DVD Review: Howl
Werewolves are a perennial favourite with horror fans. By far and away the greatest lycanthrope film is An American Werewolf in London. However, this area of horror has also produced Ginger Snaps, Dog Soldiers, The Howling and, erm, Teen Wolf. Fans often obsess about ‘the change’, which is something Paul Hyett manages to successfully solve …
DVD Review: Seconds (Masters of Cinema)
Even as far back as 1966 Americans were suffering from the boredom of suburban normality. Whether as a result of a hangover from the war or a general malaise through the burgeoning middle classes, there was a growing shifting of priorities towards material goods and the breaking down of the traditional family unit. John Frankenheimer …
DVD Review: The Naked Prey (Masters of Cinema)
Whilst the rise of the British Empire and European colonialism may have been profitable for rich white men, it certainly was no fun for the natives. Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness paints the picture of the nightmarish side of Africa but for the most part it was a continent raped of its natural resources and …