Vincent Price had a very successful career in the wilderness of genre. As such the most variety he had was as a young man, long before he became the icon he was in later life and long before he collaborated with Roger Corman. It can be of no surprise that […]
Movies & Documentaries
The Delta Force (1986) Dumb Chuck Norris action with glimmers of more (Review)
Despite a reputation comparable to the top-tier of American action stars, Chuck Norris doesn’t have the catalogue of roles you’d expect for such a lofty status. The “best” of a bad bunch is Texas Walker Ranger, getting beat up by Bruce Lee in Way of the Dragon and Menahem Golan’s […]
Like Father Like Son (2013): All hail the King of the Family Drama (Review)
At the end of any given year, many people compile and best films of the year list – whether personal or press – and, for me, Hirokazu Koreeda snatched a combined number one spot with his 2013 films I Wish and Like Father like Son. So reviewing the latest of […]
Sisters (1972) Early Brian De Palma Thriller is more than its influences (Review)
Arrow video are continuing their exploration of Brian de Palma’s back catalogue with their release of his 1973 film – Sisters. This follows Obsession, Blow Out, The Fury, Phantom of the Paradise and Dressed to kill in their unparalleled treatment of the controversial director’s work. In Sisters (aka Bloody Sisters), […]
Ace in the Hole (1951): Billy Wilder’s Timeless Journalism Satire (Review)
Films come and go regardless of their quality; the rare exceptions to this are those that capture the mood of the time without getting bogged down in pop culture or fashion. Failing this, perfectly satirising an easily corruptible medium also works. For no greater example, we have Ace in the […]
Violent Saturday (1955): Technicolour noir in picture-perfect small-town America (Review)
After a quiet spell, Eureka has returned to their Eureka Classics label with the release of The War Lord, following close behind that is Richard Fleischer’s Violent Saturday, a spiritual companion to the recent release of Don Siegel’s The Killers and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye. This 1955 film is an […]
Half of a Yellow Sun (2014): More stage play than Nigerian War Drama (Review)
Half of a Yellow Sun is a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which recounts the Biafran war from a personal and not military perspective. Charged with adapting this 2007 award-winning book is first time director and playwright Biyi Bandele. Where the book focused on the two sisters, Bandele […]
Pit Stop (1969): the fortuitous birth of Modern Carsploitation (Review)
On the latest making-of documentary for Arrow Video, legendary exploitation director Jack Hill explains that Roger Corman requested that he should make a stock car film, capitalizing on their success at the time. Hill only accepted if Corman allowed him to make an art movie, the result was Pit Stop. […]
Hands Over The City (1963): Evergreen Politics with the Mightiest Axe to Grind (Review)
Politics will never fail to aggravate, just as episodes from the past will never fail to hold some relevance to the now. Take Masters of Cinema’s newest addition, Le mani sulla città (Hands over the City), as the perfect example. People reading this review in England will be well aware […]
White of the Eye (1987): Tragedy, Giallo and lots of Peyote (Review)
Back in the days of VHS, discovering a film was a common experience – countless people visited their local video store in the hope of finding a gem. Now, in the age of the internet, there are few out of the blue surprises left. Films locked on VHS? Sure, but […]