The above quotes are from Paul Robeson in relation to a 1935 picture he made for the filmmaker Zoltan Korda titled Sanders of the River. Based on the stories of Edgar Wallace, the film was set in Colonial Nigeria and the Hungarian-born Korda (brother of director, producer and writer Alexander […]
Mark Cunliffe
Senior Contributor
Mark's first cinematic experience was watching the Cannon and Ball vehicle, The Boys in Blue. He hasn't looked back since. Hailing from Lancashire, he is an occasional contributor to Arrow DVD, writing booklet inlay essays on a variety of titles, including Children of Men and The Day of the Jackal. He has also written a chapter for Ste Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence's book, Scarred For Life Vol II. He is often found on Letterboxd, has appeared on the Talking Pictures podcast and also writes for We Are Cult, Horrified and America's left-leaning news outlet ZNetwork. He is also a regular contributor to the Geek Show's podcasts, including Pop Screen and the Uncut series.
Mind-Set (2023) A Bittersweet Observation of Modern Love (Review)
Released on demand and in select cinemas tomorrow, Mind-Set is the feature-length directorial debut of Scottish filmmaker, academic and festival programmer Mikey Murray, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is a story for our time, concerning a couple played by American actor Eilis Cahill (Mad), and Steve Oram (Sightseers), […]
Blood and Black Lace (1964) Style Over Substance in Vignettes of Violence (Review)
Newly restored from its original negative and presented in its original uncut form, Mario Bava’s classic 1964 giallo Blood and Black Lace has recently been released by the good people at Arrow Films. Starring Cameron Mitchell and Eva Bartok, this stylish slasher concerns a series of murders centring around Rome’s […]
Scream and Scream Again (1970) The Most Peculiar Portmanteau from Amicus (Review)
This week, the excellent Radiance Films continues its commitment to the classic and the cult by raiding the crypt of Amicus to deliver unto us one of the strangest portmanteau horrors Hammer’s biggest rival ever produced – 1970’s Scream and Scream Again. The title may sound like the catchphrase of […]
Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) Cult Brit Revenge Fantasy Returns (Review)
Dead Man’s Shoes is a 2004 film from This is England and The Gallows Pole director Shane Meadows that stars Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, and former British middleweight boxing champion Gary Stretch. It tells the story of parachute regiment veteran, Richard (Considine), who returns to the semi-rural/semi-urban Midlands town he […]
Andrzej Żuławski: Three Films (1971-1988): A Triptych of Trauma (Review)
Making their UK Blu-ray debut last week as part of Eureka’s Masters of Cinema label was a set of three landmark films from Polish auteur Andrzej Żuławski. The first is his 1971 debut feature The Third Part of the Night, and the second is his controversial 1972 movie The Devil, […]
Commedia all’italiana: Three Films by Dino Risi (1959-1962) (Review)
Commedia all’italiana, or Italian-style comedy, was a genre of Italian cinema that achieved considerable success from the 1950s through to the 1970s. These films, though farcical and/or satirical, placed a greater emphasis than before on realism, shooting on location and creating believable, three dimensional characters. They were united by the […]
A Moment of Romance (1990): Heroic Bloodshed and Young Love (Review)
A cult classic that ensured iconic status for its star Andy Lau, Benny Chan’s 1990 directorial debut A Moment of Romance is released to Blu-ray by Radiance next week and is a must for anyone who likes a bit of style to their violence. Andy Lau stars as Wah Dee, […]
Kate & Jake (2023) Liverpool’s Linklater? (Review)
Hot from reviewing Michael J. Long’s indie Baby Brother earlier this month, we at The Geek Show were approached by another Liverpudlian filmmaker with a view to taking a look at his movie. That movie is Kate & Jake and its writer/director is Jack McLoughlin. I was more than happy […]
Cosa Nostra (1968-1975): A Trilogy of Corruption, Italian Style (Review)
Radiance Films celebrate a remarkable trilogy of films from renowned Italian director Damiano Damiani (of 1966’s A Bullet for the General fame) and arguably the country’s most celebrated male star, Franco Nero, with their Cosa Nostra boxset released today. In the postwar period, Italian cinema led the way with their […]