Every era has one or two filmmakers who are so fashionable and so beloved that they introduce a whole generation to classic cinema just through name-dropping films in interviews. For my generation, it was the Coen brothers (and Quentin Tarantino, but since we’re not reviewing a 1970s rape-revenge film we’ll […]
Movies & Documentaries
Jagged Edge (1985) The’80s Neo-Noir that Pre-empts Basic Instinct (Review)
The 1980s saw the return of noir in Hollywood. Heralded as the neo-noir, these films revelled in their adult thriller status, creating sub-genres such as the yuppie in peril movie and the erotic thriller. It was arguably Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 movie Body Heat that kickstarted the whole revival, making stars […]
Blow Out (1981) Travolta & De Palma’s Masterpiece (Review)
Getting right to it, the 1981 movie, Blow Out, is Brian De Palma’s masterpiece – with Carrie a close second. The Philadelphia shot movie is based on Antonioni’s 1966 classic, Blow-Up, albeit with all the danger and purpose of the New Hollywood era and a focus on the craft of […]
Vengeance Trails (1966-70) Four Classic Westerns (Review)
Westerns have always been one of the more troubling genres for me, not because of any traits or questionable standards, on the contrary, I love martial arts cinema which is far more problematic on that level. My problem with westerns is that I am not a fan, and from the […]
Classic Film Kid: The Hands of Orlac (1924)(Review)
Hello everyone, the Classic Film Kid is back! I have now left school after some final exams, and after some time to breathe, why not review a couple of classic films and TV shows before I start sixth form? I’ll start with another recent release on Blu-Ray, and a recommendation […]
The Psychic (1977) Style, legacy, and Lucio Fulci’s Halloween 3 (Review)
Lucio Fulci, there’s a name from horror cinema that has a unique legacy. Known for the like of The Beyond, City of the Living Dead and Zombie Flesh Eaters – his filmography is one of over the top gore and nightmare logic, well, logic is a strong word, his films […]
Mirror (1975): Tarkovsky shows us his dreams, his memories and his lasting influence (Review)
Everyone who’s ever watched a classic film decades after its release will have had the same experience: you watch it, but you don’t just watch the film, you realise where a thousand other films, TV shows, songs and more got their inspiration from. That strange quality of deja vu is […]
Boys from County Hell (2020) Deliriously Dark Irish Comedy Horror (Review)
First made as a 17-minute short in 2013, Boys from County Hell continues the tear that Irish horror has been on in recent years. The emerald isle has been punching way above its weight, delivering some of the most compelling new low-budget horror movies made anywhere in world cinema. While […]
Bringing Up Baby (1938) I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (Review)
Released to Blu-ray on the Criterion label this week is Bringing Up Baby, the 1938 romantic farce starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn that is still today fondly regarded as one of the best and most pivotal examples of the screwball comedy genre. It tells the story of Dr David […]
Beauty and the Beast (1978) A Grim Fairytale (Review)
The film opens in a mist-shrouded, decaying forest. A band of grimy-looking travellers on horseback, pulling covered wagons are traversing this ominous terrain, accompanied only by the forbidding sounds of the wild. One in their number, a female, anxiously announces that danger will befall them if they continue – but […]