We all end up rooting for the underdog, don’t we? From humble beginnings to a series of trials, tribulations, knockbacks and naysayers, Neil Marshall has had ’em all. Many will harbour plenty good will for his one-two cult hits of Dog Soldiers and The Descent, both British gold standard uncompromising horrors […]
Movies & Documentaries
The Kid (1921): Chaplin’s Classic Comic Melodrama Newly Restored (Review)
Over a century after its initial release, Charlie Chaplin’s debut feature, The Kid, is released in a new 4K digital restoration by Criterion. Initially released as part of his eight picture deal with First National Exhibitors, The Kid built off the prolific number of short comedies he’d been making since […]
Cocaine Bear (2023) Harks back to Classic – & Fun – 70s & 90s Creature Features (Review)
Based on the true story of Andrew Thornton, a former police narcotics investigator turned drug runner, who, through a disastrous attempt at smuggling drugs, caused a black bear to ingest a stomach full of cocaine and consequently die from an overdose, Cocaine Bear is an ode to that coke-fiend critter […]
HOME MOVIE (2008) The Right Recipe for a Found Footage Horror Classic, but… (Review)
It’s hard to believe now, but in 2008 ‘found footage’ movies were still all the rage thanks to the lingering influence of The Blair Witch Project and phone camera’s still mainly being for decoration. Home Movie is typical of the genre but was no doubt over shadowed by the infinitely […]
Skinamarink (II) (2022): TikTok’s favourite liminal horror takes its Blu-Ray bow (review)
At a time when major streaming services are casually erasing whole shows from existence, we should be grateful to Acorn Media for their continuing run of Blu-Ray releases of Shudder exclusives. It also opens up one of those questions of format that a certain kind of Bazin-besotted film theorist loves […]
To Nowhere (2020): Queer Coming-of-Age British Indie (Review)
Released to cinemas and Curzon Home on 30th June, To Nowhere is the unflinching feature debut of director Sian Astor-Lewis. A striking blend of arthouse and kitchen sink, this low-budget, crowd-funded British indie explores the coming-of-age travails of two queer teenagers, taking us deep into the heart of their emotionally […]
Love Gets a Room (2021): A Holocaust Musical? (Review)
A movie about the Holocaust…but it’s a musical. You’ve got to admit, it takes some cojones to make that movie. Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés obviously believes he has those cojones. The filmmaker resposinble for the challenge of 2010’s claustrophobic, single-setting thriller Buried, steps up now to make Love Gets a […]
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023): Safe but Satisfying Nostalgia (Review)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has all the necessary ingredients for a sequel to completely suck. It’s years after the franchise was in the limelight, sparking talks of the film being merely a cashgrab or nostalgia project for those involved. It’s repeating the formulas and tropes that fans […]
Le Mépris (1963): the odd couple Godard and Bardot make a classic (Review)
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot started acting in 1952, at the age of 17. By the end of that decade she was the most famous woman in France, for her films, her music and the gleefully-reported-on turmoil of her private life. Among actresses of this era, only Marilyn Monroe was more famous. […]
Lady Reporter (1989) A Showcase for Cynthia Rothrock’s Abilities (Review)
The pseudonyms of Lady Reporter, Eureka’s latest turn in bringing Hong Kong action into the Blu-ray age for UK fans, are funny and emblematic of why these films can be so hard to find away from the guidance of boutique labels. This Cynthia Rothrock vehicle is known as The Blonde […]