Things move at such a fast pace in the movie world. Rewind 10 years ago, horror was not in the healthy position it is now – some things did cut through the noise, but mostly it was a very middle-of-the-road era. A few directors had some degree of cultural cache. […]
Reviews
The Last Thing Mary Saw (2021) Teenage Kicks Get Puritanical (DVD Review)
Teenage kicks get puritanical in this slow-burn American gothic tale. The titular Mary (Stefanie Scott) stands on trial, blindfolded with blood running down her face, as she describes to a curious judge the last thing, or rather things, that she saw that landed her in the dock. Her tale introduces […]
Love (Szerelem) (1971) Fragmented Visions and Fabrications (Blu-Ray Review)
Released to Blu-ray this week by Second Run is the 1971 Cannes Jury Prize-winning Hungarian film Love (or Szerelem, to give it its title in its native tongue) Directed by acclaimed Hungarian filmmaker Károly Makk and based on two short stories by his fellow countryman, the renowned author Tibor Déry, Love […]
Identification of a Woman (1982): Antonioni enters the ’80s, as provocative as ever (Review)
If there’s anyone out there who still doubts that Michelangelo Antonioni was a genius, consider this: he made the British overcome their prurience. On its 1966 release, his classic Blow-Up was a substantial hit in the UK among audiences who were not primarily interested in watching the latest film from […]
Monster (2003) Brutal and Beautifully Performed Serial Killer Psychodrama (Blu-Ray Review)
Hellbender (2022): Feel the Chaos of a Teenage Witch (Blu-Ray Review)
Hellbender is the sixth feature film from the Adams family (made up of Toby Poser, John Adams and Zelda Adams) and their third in the horror genre. Following its release on Shudder in February, it arrives on DVD and digital through Acorn Media International making it their most readily available […]
The Big Chill (1983): nostalgic, reflective, snarky and full of love – a warm hug of a film (Blu-Ray Review)
Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (2021) Entertainingly Rustic Genre Mashup… with Caveats (VOD review)
Her Way (2022) Sentimental and melancholic but truthful (Cinema & VOD Review)
Root Letter (2022) Japanese Video Game turned evocative directorial debut (Cinema Review)
Two teenagers exchange letters. Both have considerable emotional baggage. The primary setting is the Deep South town of Baton Rouge, Louisiana (with some time in Tulsa, Oklahoma). Soft and lustrous lighting illuminates the hot and humid surroundings, prompting a dreamy sense of inertia in which contentment and frustration jostle for […]