Arrow Films
DVD Review: Rabid
David Cronenberg built a reputation as a filmmaker through the establishment of what was to become classed as the “body horror” genre. The Canadian director’s fascination with the effect of scientists’ experimentation on humans was a recurring theme through much of his early work; most famously in the remake of The Fly and Videodrome. His …
Incoming: Amour Fou
Berlin, the Romantic Era. Young poet Heinrich wishes to conquer the inevitability of death through love, yet is unable to convince his sceptical cousin Marie to join him in a suicide pact. It is whilst coming to terms with this refusal, ineffably distressed by his cousin’s insensitivity to the depth of his feelings, that Heinrich …
DVD Review: God’s Pocket
The sad death of Philip Seymour Hoffman last year deprived Hollywood of one of the most robust and powerful actors working in modern cinema. It was roles in two very different kinds of film which quickly made him a firm favourite of mine. In State and Main and The Big Lebowski he demonstrated a comedic …
Film Review: Stations of the Cross
Growing up is tough. There have been many cinematic representations of this difficult period in a young person’s life. Some of the highlights included Stand By Me, The Breakfast Club, Show Me Love, The Virgin Suicides and 400 Blows. Richard Linklater’s Boyhood turned out to be to be one of the best films of 2014. …
DVD Review: The Girl Who Knew Too Much
During the ’60s and ’70s a weird and wonderfully strange type of film began do dominate Italian cinema. Giallo films are epitomised by a certain strangeness and a mix of crime, mystery, exploitation and horror elements. Suspiria is the finest example of the sub-genre and Dario Argento its chief exponent. Along with Suspiria, some of …
DVD Review: Stalingrad (20th Anniversary Edition)
There have been some classic war movies over the years which, instead of glorifying conflict deal with the madness of war. Vietnam spurned a whole plethora of these, most notably Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and Coming Home. There have also been many powerful anti-war films about the World Wars including Paths of Glory, Oh! …
DVD Review: The Naked City
The Second World War brought with it one of the richest genres in cinema – film noir. Staring towards the end of the conflict and running to the end of the next decade, Hollywood was dominated by a plethora of rich and stylish crime dramas. Detour, D.O.A., The Big Sleep, The Killers and Double Indemnity …
DVD Review: The Visitor
Italy has produced some great film directors and cinema. Fellini, Argento, Leone, Antonioni and Zefferelli were all considered masters of their oeuvres. There was a lot of Italian money floating around horror and science fiction films during the ’70s and ’80s, and let’s just say the quality control wasn’t always what it should have been. …
DVD Review: Brute Force
The Great Depression was a time of mass poverty and unemployment in America. Growing up in New York, and after taking part in local theatre groups and circus acts, a young Burt Lancaster decided to join the circus. He formed an acrobatic partnership with long term collaborator Nick Cravat. After joining the US Army during …
DVD Review: Mr Morgan’s Last Love
Assumed accents and mixed language films are a precarious undertaking. Whilst some actors can pull it off superbly there’s always the worry that things will descend into a Far and Away style mess. In Mr Morgan’s Last Love, Michael Caine struggles with an American accent which all too often drops out or goes over the …