John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) is an adaptation of one of the more well known stories of western mythology. There have been countless versions of the tale of King Arthur and his knights, but Excalibur remains one of if not the best one. My only other experience with a Boorman film […]
Ben Chambers
Film enthusiast and writer based in New Jersey. Fan of Classic Hollywood, Pre-Code, Western Animation, Anime, and Sci-Fi.
Anora (2024) Best Picture Oscar Winner Joins the Criterion Collection
Sean Baker is a filmmaker who’s always interested me, but until Anora I’d never seen anything made by him. I had the chance to see it at a film festival in October 2024 – the peak of its festival buzz period, but instead chose to see The Order (2024). Fast […]
Chungking Express (1994) Wong Kar Wai’s Masterpiece Looks Glorious in 4k
When I first watched Chungking Express (1994), I didn’t enjoy it and didn’t finish the film, and even though it was my first experience of Wong Kar Wai, I was rushed so it didn’t hook me. I decided to give it another chance while going through a boxset of the […]
Sinners (2025) A Must See Theatre Experience
I was surprised before seeing Ryan Coogler’s Sinners how well it was being received both critically and commercially, by audience members. Of course, after seeing it, I’m not surprised at all. It’s quite an original project, something that is unfortunately a rarity in Hollywood these days. But I do not […]
Night Moves (1975) Gene Hackman’s Memorable 70’s Thriller Comes to 4K
I ended up seeing Night Moves (1975) about a month before this Criterion edition came out, due to the passing of its star, Gene Hackman. I will admit, I thought the film was fine, though many people consider it to be a much better film than I did. Hackman’s performance […]
A Woman of Paris (1923) Chaplin’s First Drama Film Falls Short
A Woman of Paris (also known with the subtitle: A Drama of Fate) was Charlie Chaplin’s second directed feature. He made the odd choice, given how his fame was based on comedy, of wanting to direct a completely dramatic work and avoid comedy entirely. The film begins with the main […]
Paddington in Peru (2024) A Fun Adventure That Can’t Escape the Shadow of Its Predecessors
The third Paddington film, Paddington in Peru, faced a few complications before even arriving in theaters. The director of the first two films, Paul King, was unable to return due to commitments to Wonka (2023), leaving a comparitively inexperienced Dougal Wilson to fill in with directorial duties. Additionally, Sally Hawkins, […]
Memoir of a Snail, the Order and More: Montclair Film Festival 2024 in Snapshot
The Montclair Film Festival is held in Montclair New Jersey at the Clairridge (A non-profit cinema in the area) every year during October. The festival includes American films, foreign films, short films and documentaries. Some of the films that were shown this year included Anora, The Order, The Piano Lesson, […]
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) Vin Diesel’s Patchily Plotted Sci-Fi Space Opera
Like the first film, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), continues to shape the “Riddick-verse”, enhancing the foundation that was created in Pitch Black (2000). In that first film we’re given a basic story and world view, and it works – in fact, it’s an excellent film because of it. Vin […]
Red Sun (1971) East Meets Western (Review)
At first glance Red Sun seems like a standard western, however, the first thing you notice is the starry international cast: Charles Bronson (American), Toshiro Mifune (Japanese), the recently deceased Alain Delon (French) and Ursula Andress (Swiss) – it truly is an interesting film. This is one of the aspects […]