Renowned and respected in his own time, but outside of the critical fraternity Jules Dassin is teetering on being forgotten in ours. Between Arrow Films, Eureka and now the BFI, the pinnacle of the UK home video market are doing their very best to bring him back into relevance and to […]
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
Obon Brothers (2015) Character drama that peeks at the Japanese film industry (Festival Review)
Media that peers behind the curtain have provided the world of cinema with countless icons and classics. There is something about being allowed to observe the highs and lows of a world so close yet so alien which has made it such a rich well for filmmakers globally. Of course, […]
Slum-Polis (2015) Intriguing Japanese Apocalypse Drama from Raindance (Review)
In the wake of the Tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, there has been a movement of directors – both high and low profile – who have used that catastrophe to open up a cinematic discourse; one of the more successful examples is Sono’s Land of Hope. Sono formed one […]
Zombie Fight Club (2014): high trash, complete trash or somewhere in-between? (Review)
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; take any Zeitgeist movie and the wave of films that come in its wake is incredible. Take Gareth Evans’ The Raid as a classic example; the hyper-violent multi-story siege film has since enjoyed a massive rise in currency since its shocking, out-of-the-blue success. […]
Eyes Without a Face (1960) An all-timer & one of horrors true one-of-a-kind movies (Review)
The longer cinema has existed as a collaborative medium the more competition there is and the more movies are being made. To stand out from the masses you have to strive to be ahead of the curve – good directors can beat the crowd by a few years; the legendary […]
Exit (2014) A subtle showcase for Shiang-chyi Chen (Review)
The appearance of new film distributors in the UK is a significant occasion, especially when they are dealing exclusively with Asian cinema. The birth of Facet Films brings with it new possibilities, one of which is Chienn Hsiang’s directorial début – Exit. With this film, he follows the rich tradition […]
Jauja (2014) A Western Blend of South America & Scandinavia (Review)
Jauja, in Peru, was once thought to be a Mecca of milk and honey. Thought unreachable by man, something attested to by the number of people who went missing while searching for it. Both the aforementioned geographic and mythical hold weight in Lisandro Alonso’s award-winning film of the same name. This exemplary instance […]
The Face of an Angel (2014) the many faces of a true story adaptation (Review)
Outside traditions of storytelling media, many of the Zeitgeists capturing stories of our time have come from courtrooms. With the Oscar Pistorius case and abuse of civil liberties by now-defunct press outlets to name but two. One which dwarfed those in stature was the long-running Meredith Kercher murder case, forming […]
Fuku-Chan of Fuku Fuku Flats (2015) Heartwarming comedy-drama hiding genius casting (Review)
Yosuke Fujita (Quirky Guys and Gals & Fine, Totally Fine), writes and directs his latest film with an enviable simplicity that film is the awkwardly titled Fuku-Chan of Fuku-Fuku Flats. In which the titular Fuku-Chan is a portly 30-something man contented by the simple day-to-day routine of a construction worker […]
Be My Baby (2013) Gyaru or no, context is everything (Review)
Those who harp on about how awful soap operas are and how the trifecta of Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Eastenders are suffocating TV schedules should spare a thought for people of a similar disposition in Japan. The industry of soap operas is much bigger news over there, with the extreme […]