No one does genre pastiche quite like Ti West who, after working his way up from no-budget shorts to no-budget features, finally took off in 2009 with the one-two hits of a ready-made cult classic (House of the Devil), and a straight-to-video sequel (Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever). There’s an […]
Simon Ramshaw
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023) But Do Expect a Lot from This Film (Review)
During a film that reckons with (and is a reckoning for) meme culture, there is an intrusive meme that springs to mind. Imagine a picture of a long-in-the-tooth Jean Luc-Godard with a mournful ‘Died 2022’ hovering over him. Now, next to it, imagine the poster of Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, with a celebratory ‘Born 2023’ above it. A […]
Prison Walls: Abashiri Prison I-III (1965) – Layered Yakuza Trilogy takes you on a wild journey (Review)
Rare is the cinematic saga that maintains consistency. For every Lord of the Rings, there’s ten Star Warses (pick any of the trilogies) or Jurassic Parks (ditto), veering wildly from side to side as they try to work out just what put millions of bums in seats to see the […]
Breathe (2024) Starry low-budget thriller is lacking in atmosphere (Review)
Science fiction is often a genre that is complemented by social critique. After all, what better way to rip apart where we’ve been than looking forward to where we may be going? Currently in theatres is the alpha prime of big swing social sci-fi: the latest instalment of the Planet of […]
Boy Kills World (2023) Skarsgård Kills Role (Review)
Is there a family dynasty dominating the film industry harder than the Skarsgård clan? Between dad Stellan and children Alexander, Bill, Eija, Gustaf, Kolbjörn, Ossian, Sam and Valter, the towering Swedes have planted their flag in everything from Mamma Mia! to Barbarian (cinematically), and from Vikings to Succession (televisually). One could make an argument for the Australian Hemsworths being […]
Dogman (2023) Character actor gets plenty to chew on in strange shaggy dog story (Review)
There are many enticing puns a film like Dogman can provoke. The waft of a “dog’s dinner” is a tempting angle to take if the film is a complete mess, and if it’s just plain poor, a reviewer could do a This is Spinal Tap-style Shark Sandwich/”Shit Sandwich” quip and […]
Padre Pio (2022) Hollywood pariah plays pious friar in pandering prayer for pity (Review)
Tales of redemption can come in many forms. The Bible is full of them, from Noah to Moses, depicting flawed individuals picking themselves up and striding into the divine light of the Lord. Hollywood redemption stories are a different kettle of fish. Since 2017, the culture has changed, and victims […]
Black Tight Killers (1966) a chic and funky throwback to simpler, stylish times (Review)
There can be a curse for any film with a great title. For every Hobo with a Shotgun, there is a Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death – i.e. a film that wholly delivers on its title’s promise versus a film that falls completely short of it. That’s […]
Bad Biology (2008) The basket case behind Basket Case does his rom-com (Review)
How far does the grungy spirit of 80s horror reach? There’s an argument to be made for retro-conscious thrillers like The Guest or It Follows slumping over their synthesisers and going great lengths to resurrect the straight-forward thrills of years past in a cool new chasis’s. Yet the spit and sawdust of the grindhouse […]
The Promised Land (2023) Sturdy stately drama from the big dogs of Danish cinema (Review)
After a botched stint in the Hollywood big leagues with The Dark Tower, Danish director Nikolaj Arcel is back on home turf with The Promised Land, a sturdy, stately period drama far more in line with his opulent breakthrough hit A Royal Affair. Putting stalwart Mads Mikkelsen to work as a complicated leading […]