Cinematic visions of the future often lean towards the grim and dystopian. From Blade Runner to Total Recall to Equilibrium, a dark future allows for social tensions to inform character dynamics and visual design. In the case of 1993’s Demolition Man, decisions were made to create a weird movie to […]
Movies & Documentaries
The Story of Adele H (1977) Sacrifices the polite baggage of the Costume Drama becoming like a nightmare
There’s never been much consensus about the value of Francois Truffaut’s work after the first five or six years of his career, the most commonly accepted view being that after the his key intervention in the Cannes Festival protests of 1968, Enfant Terrible’s old principles seemed to row back and […]
Self Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle (London International Fantastic Film Festival 2024)
Gakuryu Ishii’s second movie of the year is half a dozen things at once, with so much going on that it has taken me a week—after its premiere at the inaugural London International Fantastic Film Festival —to begin processing everything it offers. This menagerie exemplifies the ethos I yearn for […]
The Addiction (1995) Battling a True Horror
By 1995, Abel Ferrara was on a run of high quality work that rivals any of his New York contemporaries’ best. Starting with King of New York in 1990, Ferrara had built up a body of work that plunged into the very depths of city life, disappearing down the dark […]
The Man from Majorca (1984) Buddy Cops, Scandi Style
Coming to Blu-ray this week, Radiance follows up last year’s release of Bo Widerberg’s 1976 cult classic Man on the Roof with another masculine-sounding policier from the director: 1984’s The Man from Majorca. Like the previous effort, it’s a distinctly Scandinavian take on gritty New Hollywood cop movies, such as […]
The Secret of NIMH (1982) – Don Bluth Gives Animation The Respect It Deserves
Don Bluth is one of those filmmakers who fascinates me, despite the fact that I had never seen one of his films until now. People talk about his animated efforts with even more reverence than we normally reserve for the best Disney and Pixar films. If you’re like me and […]
Horrible History: Four Films by Chang Cheh (1972-76)
It’s impossible to talk about Hong Kong cinema without mentioning Chang Cheh. From his prolific output to his genre-defining works, Chang’s films may have lacked the nuance of some of his peers—but when those peers are the legendary King Hu and the artistically refined Lau Kar Leung, it’s little wonder. […]
Godzilla Minus One (2023) Community, Camaraderie, and Godzilla at his most Terrifying
In 1954, a giant creature entered the frame of a Japanese monster movie. A name (with two forms) echoed around the world like a deafening ‘Skreeonk,’ and this name has continued to echo for 70 years. Gojira/Godzilla is one of the most iconic and recognisable figures in popular culture, perpetuated […]
The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008) – A sweeping epic so slickly directed
In regards to Korean filmmakers, Western audiences often sing the praises of Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho (especially after the latter’s Oscar wins), yet Kim Jee-woon can feel left out of the conversation. With a filmography that includes I Saw The Devil, A Tale of Two Sisters, and A Bittersweet […]
Sujo (2024) Mexico’s Oscar Submission is a Generic Affair
Mexican creative duo Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez write and direct this low-key Mexican crime drama, one that’s disinterested in the macho conventions of the gangster film and instead focuses on the long-lasting consequences organized crime has on women, children, and the boys who grow up in this environment. Sujo […]