Film
Blu-Ray Review: Mothra
Ever since we abandoned our caves, humans have apparently been fascinated by stories of exotic monsters and fantastic beasts. Whilst today, mass global travel and the internet means that these myths and legends have been roundly debunked, that doesn’t mean that enthusiasm for the unknown has waned. Stories of the Yeti, Nessie or Bigfoot still …
Blu-Ray Review: Five Easy Pieces
During the 1970s, there were a number of great American actors who both captivated cinema audiences and won a string of awards. Jack Nicholson was up there at, or near, the top. There are few who could claim to have had a stronger decade than the New Jerseyan. The likes of One Flew Over the …
Blu-Ray Review: Late Phases
Tales of a werewolf or a wolfman have been part of folklore of European since Medieval times. Indeed, these cursed shapeshifters appeared in historical texts long before then. They’re also a staple of genre cinema, with the likes of An American Werewolf in London, Ginger Snaps and The Howling all held in high regard by …
Blu-Ray Review: Dawn of the Dead
Today, zombies are prevalent in just about every aspect of popular culture. However, whilst shows such as The Walking Dead cemented their place in the mainstream, this hasn’t always been the case. Indeed, whilst they’ve been a feature of genre cinema since Victor Halperin’s White Zombie in 1932, it was George A. Romero’s original trilogy …
IDFA 2020 Preview
The International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world’s largest documentary film festival. Despite the closure of theatres in the Netherlands for the early part of November, there will be a mix of in-person and virtual screenings this year; with the industry program taking place entirely online. The festival takes place between 18 November and …
Blu-Ray Review: King of New York
There are few actors working in Hollywood today who are as instantly recognisable and steadfastly loved as Christopher Walken. Whilst he’s had a remarkably diverse and rich career, which includes starring in such eclectic films as Hairspray, The Deer Hunter and A View to a Kill, he’s become known for a rather terrifying screen presence. …
Blu-Ray Review: Girlfriends
The 1970s was a time of change and liberalisation in America. Following on from the conservative post-war years, the 1960s opened up a whole new world of opportunity; which continued into the next decade. Feminism began to make waves across the major urban areas, including LA. Hollywood reacted slowly, but it’s a period when several …
Film Review: Billie
Billie Holiday was one of the most influential singers of her generation. Working within the music industry for over twenty-five years, she had an iconic voice which was beloved by millions. Lady Day, as she was Christened by friend and collaborator Lester Young, began her career singing in nightclubs in Harlem. By the late 1930s …
Film Review: Voodoo Apocalypse
Whilst they might have been the ‘toilet circuit’ of US cinemas, grindhouse theatres have fulfilled a vital function since the early 20th century. Although their heyday was unquestionably in the 1970s, the market for these kinds of low-budget, trashy, ultra-violent and sexually explicit films was swallowed up over the next decade by the popularity of …
Raindance Review: Here Are the Young Men
If you leave school with a career mapped out then you’re one of the fortunate (and probably privileged) ones. Most of us simply end up making it up as we go along. Especially when there are very few prospects out there to choose from. The transition from childhood to adulthood is often tricky and it’s …