A quote from Søren Kierkegaard – don’t worry, this gets funny soon – kept coming to mind as I watched Oldřich Lipský’s Happy End, now released on Blu-Ray for the first time by Second Run. The Danish philosopher said “It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must […]
History
Tchaikovsky’s Wife (2023) Biopic Anchored by the brilliant Alyona Mikhaylova (Review)
Tchaikovsky’s Wife – at first it may seem incongruous that Kirill Serebrennikov (Petrov’s Flu & LETO) – a parodist of contemporary Russia and two-year victim of a politically motivated house arrest who now lives in exile, would tackle an iconic Russian figure who’s central to understanding the nation’s cultural identity. […]
The Fall of Ako Castle (1978) Fukusaku gives Historical Epic the Yakuza Papers treatment (Review)
On January 31st 1703, 47 Ronin committed seppuku (ritualistic suicide) having enacted revenge for the death of their master. Their feats of bravery, honour, loyalty and resolve have become the stuff of legend. It is woven into the very fabric of Japanese society and is heralded as the ultimate display […]
Daliland (2023) Shrugs at the eccentricity of artists without rolling its eyes (Review)
Andrzej Żuławski: Three Films (1971-1988): A Triptych of Trauma (Review)
Brooklyn 45 (2023) “I’ve Got No Faith Left”: Grief, Trauma and Haunting (Review)
The Laureate (2021) A Frustrating, Misguided and Melodramatic Biopic of a Fascinating True Story (Review)
LOLA (2022) The nature of choice and consequence in found footage (Review)
This World Is Not My Own (SXSW 2023) (Review)
Cursed Films: Series One (2020)(Review)
The first series of Shudder’s mini-series Cursed Films documents the phenomena of film sets, particularly those within the horror genre, rumoured to be cursed following consecutive tragic events that have plagued filmmakers during the course of production, and post-release. The series seeks to discover whether these cursed films are in […]