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 […]
Simon Ramshaw
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 […]
Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe (1964-2008) The Man, His Myth and The Legend that made him (Review)
Arrow jumbo boxsets are always aptly titled. Their collection of filmmaking’s Florida Man (Herschell Gordon Lewis), spanning fourteen films all dedicated to gruey gloop, was emblazoned with the word Feast. Their recent Enter The Video Store set let you literally take the lid off a miniature video store to select […]
Casino Raiders (1989) Hong Kong hustlers Lau and Tam in underseen brotherhood drama (Review)
One of cinema’s greatest challenges is making gambling exciting to watch. It’s somewhat easier to throw the viewer into the mind of a gambler, and in fact the risky, irrational thinking of someone addicted to the high of the bet is narrative rocket fuel for many movies. Uncut Gems couldn’t care […]
The Retirement Plan (2023) Nic Cage kicks back in unfunny geriaction comedy (Review)
What will Nicolas Cage’s retirement plan be? There is perhaps no actor who loves his work more than the adventurous nouveau shaman, who will pump out film after film with barely any time to breathe. Clearing a staggering seven films released widely in 2023 (if one is to include the […]
The Jester (2023) The killer clown genre pratfalls its way to a sorry end (Review)
It’s official: cinema has ruined clowns. Which particular make-up-caked straw broke the camel’s back is up for debate, however; from The Man Who Laughs to Terrifier, it’s currently hard to imagine when the garishly-dressed grinning maniacs were more funny than scary. Yet audiences are forever drawn to the freaky little […]
Suitable Flesh (2023) The Spirit of Stuart Gordon in this tawdry, knowing Lovecraft adaptation (Review)
It’s remarkable how much untapped potential lies in the work of H.P. Lovecraft -one of horror’s slipperiest and most indefinable writers. His weird tales of eldritch oddities and cosmic calamities have been the influence for many on the page, but few successes on the screen – despite a recent (if […]