How big a budget is too big a budget? There’s a lot to be said for being economy-wise with blockbuster IP; if your fanbase rejects the latest mushed-up remix of their childhood, it’s probably better to keep things cheap. In that respect, there’s perhaps no bigger gamble currently in production […]
Simon Ramshaw
The Valley of the Bees (1968) Brutal Middle Ages yarn with a sting in its tail
It’s easy to think about history in black and white. We’re not just talking about absolute morality here, oh no; some of the best period cinema of all time is defined by its monochromatic stylings, reducing the imaginative colour of times past down to stark impressionism. The leaders of Eastern […]
Vital (2004) Signs of life in a tale of death and decomposition (Review)
There’s something thrilling about a director zigging when you expect them to zag. The best in the biz operate under a distinct style that can be modulated to suit different stories; whatever they’re saying, you can always tell it’s them saying it. Japanese punk auteur Shin’ya Tsukamoto is one such […]
Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) Faithful adaptation preaches to the converted, forgets to shepherd a new flock (Review)
The clue should be in the name: there are fewer franchises more cursed than Hellboy. The first two outings for Mike Mignola’s gentle red giant fared well enough, with Guillermo del Toro’s luscious vision and Ron Perlman’s career-defining take on the character proving to be a leftfield refreshment in the […]
Die Before You Die (2024) Claustrophobic Thriller buries deep into the Modern Zeitgeist (Review)
Is there a worse fate than being buried alive, trapped in the darkness, running out of air, undiscoverable to the rest of the world? It’s everyone’s worst nightmare and then some, but as you’re clinging to what little light, breath and life you have left, what’s happening to not just […]
Frankie Freako (Fantastic Fest 2024)
What ever happened to freaky little guys? For many of our childhoods, they were scuttling around everywhere – from Gremlins to Ghoulies, the rubbery wee nightmares were wreaking havoc in fictional suburban homes, instilling fear in children who really ought not to be watching such traumatic whimsy. Many of those kids are now […]
An Taibhse – The Ghost (Frightfest 2024) Review
The boom surrounding the Irish language has been tripping off the tongue of many audiences and critics alike for the past few years, but there’s rarely been a period for its revival like this week. The Quiet Girl and Arracht have been Gaelic triumphs for the nation over the past half-decade, and since […]
Azrael: Angel of Death (Frightfest 2024) Review
Silence is golden in horror right now. From the whole concept of A Quiet Place to a sequence in Alien: Romulus that thrives on sound levels rising no higher than a heartbeat, films are throwing themselves down a gauntlet in keeping their characters schtum to milk tension. E. L. Katz’s post-Rapture survival horror Azrael: Angel […]
Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs (2024) and the Long Legacy of His Father, Anthony
CONTAINS SPOILERS The shadow of Psycho looms long over many things. What would, say, the modern movie twist be without it? Rug pulls don’t come much more severe than the true nature of Mrs Norma Bates, let alone Alfred Hitchcock’s brutal decision to cut down his protagonist less than halfway through the runtime. Would […]
The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023) Classic Western Fare with a Wistful Edge (Review)
To paraphrase Bob Marley: “who shot the western?” There are a number of smoking guns when it comes to this particular murder. Was it Michael Cimino, the megalomaniacal visionary behind Heaven’s Gate, an epic so wildly out of control that it killed an entire film studio? Was it the audience […]