John Sayles, the Don of American independent cinema, has dedicated much of his career to examining and exploring buried and ‘unofficial’ histories. This fascination, this need to tell, has taken Sayles far, from the coal-mining hollers of West Virginia (Matewan) to the tundras of Alaska (Limbo) to Latin/Central America (Men with Guns) and out […]
Reviews
A Wolfpack Called Ernesto (2023): Experimental look at Mexican Gang Culture (Review)
As one of the subjects of Everardo Gonzáles’s new film A Wolfpack Called Ernesto puts it, “you get involved by looking”. Where theatre has monologues and novels have first-person narration, film has the close-up as its signature method of encouraging you to identify with a character’s emotions. You could chart […]
History of Evil (2024) A Thoroughly American Horror Story (Review)
If you haven’t heard anything about the latest “Shudder Original”, History of Evil (2024), prior to its recent arrival on the platform, then you’re not alone; seemingly little information was made public on the film prior to its release, aside from its cast list and a vague, one-sentence plot summary. […]
Eureka (2024) The Glorious Antithesis of the Issue Movie (Review)
Slow, slow, slow. That is the word, the descriptor, that has been repeated over and over in reviews of Argentinian director Lisandro Alonso’s masterpiece, reoccurring with fevered intensity even in those most positive of responses, and usually attached to a warning that the audience will need to recalibrate their expectations. […]
Head Count (2023) A joyfully nostalgic crime thriller that recalls the late 90s glory days (Review)
When people say, “They don’t make films like that anymore” – usually it’s movies that wouldn’t hold up to the social norms of the contemporary era. A homophobic, racist, sexist or transphobic joke here or there ages a film harder than just about anything else. I should say this is […]
Slaughter in San Francisco (1974) One for the Brucesploitation Faithful (Review)
Lo Wei had his fingers in a lot of successful pies. From “discovering” and getting Bruce Lee on the big screen with The Big Boss and Fists Of Fury (1971 & 1972 respectively), as well as “launching” the career of Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan was under an exclusive contract with […]
The Promised Land (2023) Sturdy stately drama from the big dogs of Danish cinema (Review)
After a botched stint in the Hollywood big leagues with The Dark Tower, Danish director Nikolaj Arcel is back on home turf with The Promised Land, a sturdy, stately period drama far more in line with his opulent breakthrough hit A Royal Affair. Putting stalwart Mads Mikkelsen to work as a complicated leading […]
Choose Life, Choose Trainspotting (1996)(Review)
When Criterion announced Trainspotting (1996) as a January release in October, I was ecstatic. It’s one of my favourite films. The Blu-ray Lionsgate have already put out is a great release, but it’s awesome that a company like Criterion re-releases it (it was in the collection in laserdisc form) with […]
Mudbound (2017) The Unspoken Face of The American Experience (Review)
Mudbound is a lot of things. Adapted from Hillary Jordan’s novel by co-writers Dee Rees and Virgil Williams and directed by Rees, it is a tale of two families who face challenges that are comparable yet very different. These differences constitute the racial relations and tensions of Mississippi in the […]
Slotherhouse (2023) There are no Dumb Ideas, Only Terrible CGI (Review)
Picture the three toed Sloth. A majestic creature, slow yet steady, hanging from tree branches with docile confidence, basking in their South American forest environment, munching on leaves with a strong murderous rage in their heart. Oh yes, according to this movie, Slotherhouse, Sloths are natures number one adaptive predator […]