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 […]
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 St Helens, he is an occasional contributor to Arrow DVD, writing booklet inlay essays on a variety of titles, including Children of Men and The Great Escape. He is a reviewer with IndieMDB and has also written a chapter for Ste Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence's book, Scarred For Life Vol II. Other sites he has written for include We Are Cult, Horrified, and America's left-leaning news outlet ZNetwork. Publications he has written articles for include Stat Magazine and the fanzine Undefined Boundary: The Journal of Psychick Albion. He is also a regular contributor to the Geek Show's podcasts, including Pop Screen and the Uncut series, and he can be found on Letterboxd.
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 […]
Baby Brother (2023) Impressive Micro-Budget Liverpool Indie (Review)
Possibly coming to a film festival near you this year is Baby Brother, a remarkable feature debut from Michael J Long. It tells the story of two siblings, Adam and his kid brother Liam, across two separate days, five years apart, and if you do get the chance to see […]
O.C. and Stiggs (1987): What Did I Just Watch? (Review)
Radiance continues its run of unearthing movies that have spent too long neglected and in the shadows. What is usually the case with Radiance, is that these movies are European, foreign language productions. Not so this week, were they have dusted down two Hollywood movies from a rightly much acclaimed […]
The Iron Prefect (1977): Giuliano Gemma Cleans Up Sicily (Review)
This week’s release from Radiance is Pasquele Squitieri’s 1977 movie Il Prefetto di Ferro, alternatively known as both The Iron Prefect and I Am the Law in English speaking territories. Fans of Italian genre cinema take note, Radiance offers this up as a delicious primer ahead of their epic Cosa […]
To Nowhere (2020): Queer Coming-of-Age British Indie (Review)
Released to cinemas and Curzon Home on 30th June, To Nowhere is the unflinching feature debut of director Sian Astor-Lewis. A striking blend of arthouse and kitchen sink, this low-budget, crowd-funded British indie explores the coming-of-age travails of two queer teenagers, taking us deep into the heart of their emotionally […]
Love Gets a Room (2021): A Holocaust Musical? (Review)
A movie about the Holocaust…but it’s a musical. You’ve got to admit, it takes some cojones to make that movie. Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés obviously believes he has those cojones. The filmmaker resposinble for the challenge of 2010’s claustrophobic, single-setting thriller Buried, steps up now to make Love Gets a […]
La Syndicaliste (2022): A Conspiracy Thriller for the #MeToo World (Review)
Born in Ireland, Maureen Kearney was a trade unionist in France’s former state-owned nuclear company, Areva. Hearing of a contract between Areva and the bourgeoning Chinese nuclear industry from a disgruntled insider at EDF, Kearney grew fearful for the job security of her members and the future of the company […]