One of the reasons I enjoy writing is because I want to share my love of films with other people. I’ve always taken pride in introducing friends, family, and now strangers, to movies that have changed my life. The reverse is also incredibly special, when someone shares one of their […]
Jimmy Dean
The Roaring Twenties (1939) How Systemic Failure Created a Gangster (Review)
Criterion’s stunning UHD Blu-Ray release of The Roaring Twenties allows audiences to rediscover a film that marked the end of the golden age of gangster films. Made in 1939, long after the success of Little Caesar (1931), Public Enemy (1931), and Scarface (1932), Raoul Walsh’s film is a fascinating, nostalgic […]
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, […]
Paths of Glory (1957) Kubrick’s Antiwar Masterpiece in 4K (Review)
Eureka’s Masters of Cinema series was formative in developing my knowledge and love of cinema. I glance over at my collection and think of how Eureka introduced me to F.W Murnau’s Tabu, Douglas Sirk’s The Tarnished Angels and a host of lesser seen Billy Wilder films. I associate that Masters […]
The Sting of Death (1990) Scenes From a Marriage (Review)
Over the last six weeks I’ve been lucky enough to discover three new Japanese films that have been restored and released by Radiance Films that were not previously on my radar. Having spent years constantly agonising over what film to watch next, there’s something refreshing about trusting a company like […]
I The Executioner (1968) A Brutal Neo Noir Directed by Akira Kurosawa’s Former Apprentice (Review)
Happy New Year and Happy New Radiance Films Release Day to all those who celebrate. After falling head over heels for Elegant Beast (1962), I was delighted to be jumping back into 60’s Japan for Radiance’s latest release I, The Executioner (1968), a neo-noir directed by former Akira Kurosawa protégée […]
Black God, White Devil (1964) – An Unforgettable Brazilian Classic (Review)
When Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll crowned Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles No.1 last year there was a great deal of predictably boring discourse online. The most striking thing I saw in the fallout had nothing to do with Chantel Akerman’s masterpiece, but […]
Elegant Beast (1962) – A Capitalist Nightmare in Post-war Japan
I find Radiance Films to be an antidote for the general lack of curation in the world of big brand streaming. Each new physical release is a lovingly-packaged treat, often re-introducing an overlooked or under-seen film into the canon. I trust their taste and, with each new film I watch, […]
The Eternal Magic of Powell and Pressburger: A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
I was introduced to the work of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger at university. I was eighteen, still overwhelmed by the move from Ipswich to London, and intimidated by my film school peers who spoke of film movements I’d never heard of and equipment I’d never seen. I sat in […]