Shinichi Chiba (Sonny) became a star in the global kung fu fever inspired by Bruce Lee and the international success of his unfortunate swansong, Enter the Dragon. Like many of his Hong Kong peers, Chiba starred in an awful lot of movies and not many of them good – however, […]
Rob Simpson
Chief Editor
Host of the Uncut Network. With a love of movies kicked off by Hong Kong Action and Claymation Monsters, Rob has forever been cradled in the bosom of Cinema. Rob has his hands in many a pie, including no budget film making. Filthy
Parents (1989) Anti-Cannibal Comedy-Horror via John Waters & David Lynch (Review)
In 2019, Bob Balaban’s known for his roles in Wes Anderson’s films (most prominently as the narrator in Moonrise Kingdom), his acting has also seen him work with the likes of Spielberg, Altman, Ken Russell, and Christopher Guest. He has also carved out a side career as a director, only […]
The Unholy (1988) The Fine Line Between Religious Horror And Satanic Panic (Review)
Many things came to mind when I watched this new Vestron video release, the Unholy. Horror is thought of as a safe place for outsiders. Mostly that is true but if you dig deeper into the subtext you’ll find that isn’t really all that accurate a truism. Slashers, for example, […]
Climax (2018) Gasper Noe: The Dark Lord of Dance (Review)
So, Climax, we finally meet. Since breaking into the arthouse scene in 2002, Gasper Noe and controversy have never been far apart. In 2002 he gave the world a brutal and unsympathetic tale of rape in Irreversible, following that up in 2009 he directed Enter the Void and with that, […]
Iceman: The Time Traveller (2018) Bewildering Blockbusters And The Cost Of Globalisation (Review)
This is not what those fearing Hollywood being usurped by China had in mind. Iceman the time traveller – the new Blockbuster starring Simon Yam & Donnie Yen – is inept on almost every conceivable level, much to the point where it would be all too easy to tear this […]
Once Upon a Time in China Trilogy (1991-93) The Birth of Jet Li’s Super Stardom (Review)
The 1990s was a tumultuous time for Hong Kong Martial Arts cinema. Its favourite son, Jackie Chan, was too big to fail as such he was doing whatever he wanted on Golden Harvest’s payroll, Sammo Hung was closer to a director than the action star that made his name, Yuen […]
De Niro & De Palma: The Early Films (1968-70)(Review)
The world is very aware of who Robert De Niro is, he is held by many to be one of the greatest actors of his (very good) generation, if not all time. Brian De Palma is a bit more of a complicated character much to the point where you can […]
Invention for Destruction (1958) One of the finest pop-up books in cinema history (Review)
I’m not one to watch films more than once – outside of personal favourites – and I am even less inclined to recommend a film and for you to watch it twice, but for Second Run’s latest, Invention for Destruction (the fabulous world of Jules Verne), it is an absolute […]
Il Postino (1994) tragedies and small miracles in the Mediterranean (Review)
Making of’s are a unique beast, most are a means for a fan to interact with the film and experience what it must’ve been like to be on set, feature-length interviews have the same effect. In my experience, there have been few that have changed the way you view a film. […]
Monkey Shines (1988) Lesser Romero Doesn’t Mean Bad Romero (Review)
One of the issues I have always had with the 70s and 80s horror is George A. Romero. Not his movies as I love more of them than I don’t, more the way the industry dealt with him. First and foremost he was a satirist who wanted to tell stories […]