Criterion Collection
Blu-Ray Review: Menace II Society
Over the last decade, the film industry has taken major steps forward on the diversity and inclusion fronts. However, successful producers and studio heads have traditionally been white men. The same can be said for directors and leading actors. The African-American voice was largely sidelined or reduced in mainstream US cinema, but things began to …
Blu-ray Review: Le Samouraï
During the 1960s and 1970s, Alain Delon was one of the most iconic faces of European cinema. He made a string of eye-catching films with famous directors, including Antonioni (L’Eclisse), Visconti (The Leopard), Clément (Plein Soleil) and Losey (Mr Klein). However, it’s probably his work with the great Jean-Pierre Melville which remains the most feted. …
Blu-Ray Review: The Thin Red Line
While the end of World War II in Europe officially came on VE Day, 7 May 1945, fighting continued in the Pacific arena. Japan eventually surrendered to America at the beginning of September, but the conflict didn’t simply stop overnight in a war which encompasses much of the globe. There have been countless films about …
Blu-Ray Review: Devi
Not all directors are equal, or treated equally. Especially in the way their work is perceived of celebrated in the Western world. While the likes of Kurosawa, Truffaut, Hitchcock, Tarkovsky and Fellini are lauded and almost worshipped by cinephiles, other filmmakers, such as Satyajit Ray, have found their bodies of work rather overlooked or underappreciated. …
Blu-ray Review: The Damned
There was an attempt to sanitise history following the end of World War II. If you read the history books then the only bad people are those wearing certain uniforms. The entire crimes of Germany have largely been pinned on the SS. With everyone else some form of victim. It’s obviously much more complicated than …
Blu-ray Review: Beasts of No Nation
Whilst most, if not all, people reading this will have had a childhood, in many places around the world it’s far from guaranteed. Growing up in a stable and relatively affluent country means that schooling, play, learning etc is the norm. Indeed, the former is a legal requirement in most of the developed world. Although …
Blu-Ray Review: Deep Cover
It takes a special kind of police officer to go undercover. They must have nerves of steel. Be prepared to take extreme measures in order to protect their identity and not baulk when having to do things which go against your moral compass. However, it’s a vital tool in infiltrating criminal organisations, getting the inside …
Blu-Ray Review: All about Eve
The introduction of reality TV and the likes of Youtube, Tiktok and Instagram have opened up possibilities for people around the world. Today, anyone with aspirations of celebrity has a shot of their 15 minutes of fame. Whilst it’s difficult to get into television or film (it’s easier than it used to be) back in …
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: 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 …