There was a time in my life when wrestling was more important to me than film or football. Before my discovery of Mike Leigh, or the emergence of Gareth Bale, there was Rob Van Dam. Before The Apartment moved me to tears, or Lucas Moura set me into delirium, there […]
Korea
A Bittersweet Life (2005) & The Chaser (2008) Two Korean New Wave Classics (Review)
Concrete Utopia (2023) Bleak and Brutal But Riveting Modern Dystopia (Review)
Dystopian stories come in a variety of different forms, and we’ve been treated to many examples of them in recent years. There’s the YA dystopias such as The Hunger Games and Maze Runner that explore systemic oppression in fantastical societies, the more relatable urban dystopias such as Daniel Kaluuya and […]
By A Man’s Face You Shall Know Him (1966) Harmony, Yakuza and the Rediscovery of Tai Kato (Review)
I’ve previously written at length about the joy of discovering new films and filmmakers through Radiance Films — one of which was I, The Executioner (1968), a brutal neo noir which introduced me to Akira Kurasawa’s former apprentice Tai Kato. Radiance are clearly passionate about restoring and celebrating his work, […]
Project Wolf Hunting (2022) Rivals The Sadness for extreme viscera and gut-punching madness (Review)
From director Kim Hong-sun comes Project Wolf Hunting, an ultra-violent horror action thriller from South Korea. Korean criminals are being expedited from Manila, Philippines to Busan on a large cargo ship due to a past disaster in an airport. On board are the most dangerous criminals known to the state […]
Stars in the Ordinary Universe & The Mad Writer (Slamdance 2023)(Review)
Following Mad Cats, Starring Jerry as Himself and the Underbug, we return to Slamdance for more coverage of a film festival that celebrates new, emerging and alternative voices within the world of art, film and beyond. Thus far, I have been trying to theme my articles and failing miserably because […]
Na Hong-Jin (the Chaser & The Wailing)
The Witch Part 2: The Other One (2022) Korean Superpowered Franchise, reheated (VOD review)
The Vanished (AKA Vanishing) (2022) Intelligent International Thriller of social connectivity (VOD Review)
Globalisation can be expressed without globetrotting, as multiple nationalities come together in particular locations and productions can utilise a range of global influences in their production. Such a film is Vanishing, also called The Vanished, depending on which site you find it on, or indeed ‘Salajin’ or ‘salajineun’ in Korean. […]
