Reviewing silent cinema is a difficult task, evaluating something so antiquated with the sensibilities of the modern era requires the ability to look past modernity and adopt an eye keyed into the gaze they were first viewed with. Failing that, legacy is always an entry point into the early days […]
Movies & Documentaries
Teenage (2013): Inspired, Cut out Punk Documentary about the teenage experience (Review)
People between the ages of 13 and 19 have obviously always existed, the lifestyle of the teenager is commonly believed to have been invented in the 1950s with the popularisation of Rock ‘n Roll. In Matt Wolf’s idiosyncratic documentary and ‘living collage’, Teenage, he gives voice to accounts of what […]
Kiss of the Damned (2012): Twisted Euro Vampires in the wrong movie (Review)
During the director interview on Eureka’s release of Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss of the Damned, the director states that titles like Twilight are children’s films and don’t belong to the great tradition of vampires in cinema. Although that wasn’t the influence behind the film, it’s a good point to approach from. […]
Computer Chess (2013) Part Comedy, Part Doc, and Defiantly retro (Review)
Computer Chess (Masters of Cinema’s latest release) was part-financed by Kickstarter. Now it might not sound like much but this is a momentous turn in fate, for a long time websites like Kickstarter have been an appealing means of community-led sufficiency for creative projects, but at the same time, they […]
Il Bidone (1955): Playing the game in a giant’s shadow (Review)
Fellini is esteemed at the top of the tree of classic film directors, only for the UK market he hasn’t been served anywhere near as well as his fellow masters of cinema. There have been bits and pieces released on limited runs here and there, but it’s still lacking. Enter […]
Wolf Children (2012) From the same cloth as Miyazaki’s Meticulous Fables (Review)
In Anime’s golden age, the appeal of this formerly niche Japanese art-style broke down barriers because it actively incorporated global inspirations, with Cowboy Bebop being the crown prince of examples. From the type of stories told, references made – anime’s footprint expanded, turning this once provincial form into something globally […]
Big Trouble in Little China (1986): The Most Entertaining Action Movie in the West (Review)
For those of you who haven’t seen Big Trouble in Little China, I don’t know who you are what with it being one of the most over-broadcast films of UK TV of the past twenty years, but I’ll continue. John Carpenter’s 9th feature-length film is a Chinese Fantasy movie veiled […]
The Long Goodbye (1973) The Beatnik and Neo-Noir Classic (Review)
Despite the number of classics that fit under the banner, film noir is a style of crime cinema that has been bizarrely confined to the era of its inception. More often than not, those films made outside of the 1940s and 50s tend to be classics of their respective era. […]
Tokyo Fist (1998): The Most Extreme Boxing Movie Ever Made (Review)
You would think that by moving away from the industrial body horror of the Tetsuo films to Boxing, Shinya Tsukamoto would produce a less hostile film. With the film reissued by third window films, I learned that you should never assume anything with the Body Horror sweetheart. Tokyo Fist is […]
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978): The King of the Horror Remake (Review)
Arrow’s latest release and one of the highlights of the year’s home release calendar is 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It comes with the embarrassment of extra footage, interviews, and making-of videos. The Blu-ray also features a characteristic effort to bring the film into the 21st century with a […]