There has been an increased interest in Shudder original movies over the last few years that has earned it the reputation of “Netflix for horror”. Its biggest successes – the timely and terrifying Zoom horror Host, the Peabody Award-winning La Llorona, and the popular television adaptation of Creepshow – put […]
Movies & Documentaries
The Fantastic Mr Fox (2009) Fantastic Film, Even Better Extras (Review)
Roald Dahl was one of the greatest writers of children’s stories, his stories have captured and enthralled children since his first children’s tale “Gremlins” in 1943. The Fantastic Mr Fox first published in 1970 finally made its way to the screen in 2009 when Wes Anderson adapted it brilliantly with […]
Yokai Monsters Collection (1968/2005)(Review)
Before starting this review I have to ask you the question: have you heard of Yokai? If not this is definitely the place to start, if you have then this should be a great addition to your Blu-Ray collection. Arrow Video has collected together the original Yokai trilogy: 100 Monsters, […]
Bad Candy (2021): and the curse of Halloween Horror Movies (DVD Review)
Packed to the rafters with Halloween tropes, what this uneven anthology lacks in scares, it makes up for it in gore and pumpkins. Horror anthology TV series are all the rage at the moment, but apart from a few honourable mentions (the Tales from the Crypt series for retro fans, […]
We Need to Do Something (2021) Ambitious lockdown Horror with one twist too many (Review)
The title of Sean King O’Grady’s movie, released on digital platforms by Blue Finch, is a statement of purpose. It’s one of a growing number of movies made during lockdown, by creatives who’d seen larger projects cancelled during the pandemic and decided that they needed to… well, you’re ahead of […]
Almost Liverpool 8 (2021) A Love Letter to a Postcode (Review)
In this documentary film, the writer Ronnie Hughes remarks “I’m not particularly interested in history…I’m more interested in what it tells us about how people live, and how is it now, and what is the history of now that we can turn into the future” So let’s get the history […]
No Man of God (2021): not the Bundy biopic you may be fearing (Review)
Amber Sealey’s first film, A + D, was a microbudget affair set in a London flat and starring the director herself. Her latest, No Man of God, is about Ted Bundy, one of America’s most obsessed-over criminals, and features Elijah Wood and Robert Patrick. That sounds like a big step […]
Love & Basketball (2000): and a lot more besides (Review)
Auteurism isn’t very popular these days, even amongst auteurs. The current fashion seems to have swung back to a pre-1950s model of treating the studio as the defining creative voice of a film, which can be interesting – auteur theory itself originated in such an environment – but it comes […]
Toshiaki Toyoda (2005-2021/Part II) Kubozuko & filmmaking with conviction (Review)
Third Window Films released their second edition of boxsets collecting the work of unsung cult Japanese cinema icon, Toshiaki Toyoda, following their previous “early year’s” collection. I previously talked about the 2nd collection yesterday, specifically around the first three movies – Hanging Garden, Day of Destruction and Monster’s Club. The […]
Violation (2020): hardcore revenge without the toxicity (Review)
The rape-revenge movie: what is to be done? Four decades ago, as the video nasties scare began to percolate, rape-revenge narratives joined “Italian cannibal movies” and “concentration camp exploitation” in the list of topics least likely to be officially approved for release. Now, our most accomplished female screenwriters and directors […]