There isn’t one set-in-stone way to make an art documentary, because there isn’t one set-in-stone way to appreciate art. Those who believe art should stand on its own, or trigger some kind of personal reading, may feel that the work is diminished by too much context and explanation. That seems […]
Graham Williamson
Senior Contributor
Blue Collar (1978) the bleakest picture of the working week in American cinema (Review)
Not all of Paul Schrader’s movies are pitiless examinations of masculinity in crisis, but when one of them kicks off with Bo Diddley singing ‘I’m A Man’, you’d better believe that’s a statement. Now reissued on Powerhouse, Blue Collar is the tale of three car factory workers who hatch a […]
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 4 (The Rewatch)
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 4 MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS BRINGS BACK SOME MEMORIES We live, regrettably, in a nostalgic age. The standard life cycle of a new geek-targeted film or TV series is this: it is announced something from the past is being brought back. Everyone gets very excited. Then the […]
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 3 (The Rewatch)
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 3 MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS CALL FOR HELP The FBI are back! What are they investigating, according to Miguel Ferrer’s still-peerlessly grouchy Albert Rosenfeld? “The absurd mystery of the strange forces of existence.” Oh. I see. Sounds more like an NSA job to me, but if you’re […]
Charley Varrick (1973) The casual appeal of Walter Matthau (Review)
Powerhouse’s new Blu-Ray of Don Siegel’s 1973 thriller Charley Varrick comes with the impressive set of extras this label has set as a standard for their reissues of cult films. Sometimes, though, the information you get from those extras doesn’t quite tally up. The feature-length making-of documentary Last of the […]
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 2 (The Rewatch)
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 2 MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS THE STARS TURN AND A TIME PRESENTS ITSELF The first two episodes of Twin Peaks were broadcast back-to-back, with the option to watch three and four online. As a result, episode 2 hasn’t had the chance to be considered as its own […]
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 1 (The Rewatch)
Twin Peaks the Return Episode 1 MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS MY LOG HAS A MESSAGE FOR YOU Why talk about Twin Peaks: The Return now? Well, for one thing, it’s one of the few modern American prestige dramas whose reputation hasn’t settled now it’s off the air. After Breaking Bad’s last episode […]
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) a deliciously stylish melodramatic Occult Hammer Horror (Review)
It’s nearly Christmas, so let us think of those less fortunate than us: specifically, the Mummy. Even before this summer’s Tom Cruise-led flop, ol’ bandage face had a chequered screen history. The 1932 Universal feature had Boris Karloff in front of the camera, Karl Freund behind and a certain topicality […]
The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976) The arty yet exploitative end of the video nasties list (Review)
Newly released as a stand-alone Blu-Ray by Arrow, The Witch Who Came From the Sea was previously part of Arrow’s American Horror Project Vol. 1 along with Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood and The Premonition. It’s a much less comfortable fit within the horror genre than those two films, displaying a mix […]
Sherlock Jr (1924) A silent comedy far ahead of its time (Review)
The shortest of Buster Keaton’s features, the 45-minute Sherlock Jr. is only five minutes longer than the Oscars’ stated limit for short films (not that they existed back then). It had been conceived and shot as a six-reel feature, but Keaton deleted two of those when the film tested poorly. […]