A knowing film can be a tricky thing. Make the knowing winks too subtle and it can go over the viewers’ heads. Be too obvious and the nudges become as distracting and irritating as actual elbows in the ribs. This does not stop many a filmmaker from tipping their hat […]
Movies & Documentaries
The Driver (1978) Walter Hill’s influential, minimalist crime classic (Blu-Ray Review)
Even though it’s only Walter Hill’s second feature, The Driver feels like it was made by someone with decades of experience. Hill takes tropes from old-school Westerns and Noirs and strips them back to their most primitive forms, although it retains a revisionist approach to the genres where no character […]
The Cat and the Canary & The Ghost Breakers (1939/1940) (Blu-Ray Review)
The classic horror set-up of a group of strangers finding themselves stranded together on a dark and stormy night at a spooky gothic mansion is one as old as the genre itself. A staple of the stage and screen, the concept of the “old dark house” has endured for over […]
The Leech (2022) Straying From The Path of God Leads to Deadly Consequences (Blu-Ray Review)
Being a man of God means to be a man of principle as you follow and conform to the path that the man above wishes you to uphold. As we face temptation and lust, it’s the power of God that should theoretically help us survive these sins to live a […]
The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) One of the earliest and purest examples of cinematic dread (4K Review)
Few cinematic movements have been as influential to the formation and development of cinema as German Expressionism. Its intricate and fantastical set design, emphasis on close-ups and fantastic use of dynamic lighting to craft deep shadows have gone on to influence a wide range of Hollywood genres from gothic horror […]
Father Earth (2022): big issues tackled in Graham Fellows’s small-scale fashion (Review)
There is a school of thought that, if you’re going to make a film with one obvious vulnerability, you should acknowledge it as soon as possible in order to disarm your critics. Anyone making a film about climate change in 2022 will know exactly what the naysayers will come out […]
Dreaded Light (2022) Modern Day Play for Today (VOD review)
One of the pieces of advice given to prospective writers across any medium, whether visually inclined or literary, it’s to write what you know. Writer/director Mark MacNicol has used that vague counsel to write his debut feature, Dreaded Light – a deeply personal drama that sashays past some horror tropes […]
A Wounded Fawn (2022) A Bold, Inventive One-of-a-Kind Horror (VOD review)
Invited on a second date with the handsome Bruce (Josh Ruben) to his secluded cabin, Meredith (Sarah Lind) is ready for a weekend she won’t forget. Bruce, however, is fuelled by a dark need, and Meredith will have to fight for her survival. Travis Stevens, director of the previous Shudder […]
Infernal Affairs Trilogy (2002/3) A Significant if flawed Film Trilogy (Blu-Ray Review)
In 2002, the producing-writing-directing team Andrew Lau Wai-Keung and Alan Mak released Infernal Affairs, a distinctive crime thriller that exploded across Hong Kong cinemas and had a worldwide impact. The film garnered multiple awards including Best Film at the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards and Film of Merit at the […]
The Power of the Dog (2021) An inspirational Western for those with the patience to ride with it (Blu-Ray Review)
The word “literary” stalks descriptions of Jane Campion’s work like “quirky” does Wes Anderson’s, so let’s top-and-tail this review of Criterion’s Blu-Ray of her most recent film with some book talk. The most pleasingly unexpected extra here is an interview with Annie Proulx, who mentions getting a letter from The […]