Picturehouse Entertainment
Blu-Ray Review: Koko-Di Koko-Da
One popular conceit which film-makers love to play with is throwing their main character(s) into a situation and watching them replay a scenario over and over again. Groundhog Day or Happy Death Day are probably the most famous examples, but there have been many variations on a theme. Johannes Nyholm combines this premise with one …
Film Review: Babyteeth
Over the years, Australian cinema has shown time and time again that when it comes to tackling teenage drama and family tragedy it has a fairly unique spin on things. Cate Shortland’s hypnotic debut Somersault and Simon Stone’s incredibly powerful tale of lies and repercussions, The Daughter, are two great examples of this. They’re now …
Film Review: Proxima
Whilst Eva Green proves to be consistently popular with viewers, she doesn’t always get the credit she deserves for her acting ability. The French actor is an equally at home in English as French, best known for her eye-catching performances in Penny Dreadful, as Versper Lynd in Casino Royal or hamming it up in a …
Film Review: Woman at War
Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. With well under half-a-million inhabitants, the Nordic nation is self-contained in many ways. Boasting volcanoes, mountains, geysers and glaciers, the sub-arctic island is both starkly beautiful and mercilessly unforgiving. Icelandic cinema often reflects this. The likes of Nói albinói, Rams and Of Horses and Men are …
Blu-Ray Review: The Wife
If you don’t think that women get a rough ride in life, then you’re probably living with your head in the sand. That or you’re part of the problem. Whilst there have been huge strides forwards over the last few decades, the pace of change is nowhere near quick enough. However, unlike most of history …
Blu-ray Review: Custody
Divorce or separation is never an easy time for those involved but it’s often the children who suffer the most. It’s all too common for adults to get caught-up in their own personal conflicts and not realise the impact their animosity is having on their loved ones. This is the subject of actor turned director …
Film Review: The Absent One
You’ve got to hand it to Scandinavians, they certainly know how to create compelling crime dramas. Nordic Noir dominates the crime sections of bookshops with the likes of Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbø becoming household names. The same can be said for TV. The Bridge, The Killing, Wallander and Borgen have set the …
Film Review: Marguerite
History is littered with tales of those whose own self-belief and confidence belied their actual ability. It’s an arguably admiral and endearing character trait which has traditionally been associated with eccentricity, but more recently with mental health issues. Florence Foster Jenkins was a socialite and operatic soprano who was ridiculed for her atrocious singing ability. …
Film Review: Palio
Animal welfare is not always synonymous with some European countries. Whilst Spain may take the biscuit with bullfighting, horse racing isn’t far behind on the list of animal rights activists. National Hunt Racing (aka, hurdles/steeplechasing) has repeatedly come under scrutiny, most notably The Grand National, but it has nothing on the utter craziness and sheer …