Over the last six weeks I’ve been lucky enough to discover three new Japanese films that have been restored and released by Radiance Films that were not previously on my radar. Having spent years constantly agonising over what film to watch next, there’s something refreshing about trusting a company like […]
Reviews
Kung Fu Cult Master (1993)… But Hot Damn, that action is Awesome (Review)
Louis Cha Leung Yung casts a huge shadow over the wuxia. Better known by the pen name Jin Yong, he would not only co-founded the Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao, his wuxia novels would become essential reading and influence the genre on the large and small screen alike to this […]
Thelma & Louise (1991) Ridley Scott’s Mythic Modern American Classic (Review)
Since its original release in 1991, Thelma & Louise has become a classic and a frequently revisited and referenced one at that. A shorthand for ‘feminist film’, ‘film about women’, ‘female friendship’, ‘women who don’t need men’ and more, it is also something of an oddity in the career of […]
Goodbye and Amen (1977): Diplomacy and Dirty Tricks (Review)
Released to Blu-ray by Radiance films this week, Goodbye and Amen is director Damiano Damiani’s 1977 political thriller-cum-hostage drama, starring American actor Tony Musante of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage fame and Italian screen icon Claudia Cardinale, and featuring support from prolific Italian filoni star John Steiner and a […]
Mad Cats (2023) A Mixed Return to Japanese Madcap Comedy (Review)
There was a time in the early to mid 00s where the only type of movie you would see coming out of Japan were absurdist comedies with strange yet alluring titles. At the forefront of this was Katsuhito Ishii. With films such as Funky Forest: The First Contact, The Taste […]
I The Executioner (1968) A Brutal Neo Noir Directed by Akira Kurosawa’s Former Apprentice (Review)
Happy New Year and Happy New Radiance Films Release Day to all those who celebrate. After falling head over heels for Elegant Beast (1962), I was delighted to be jumping back into 60’s Japan for Radiance’s latest release I, The Executioner (1968), a neo-noir directed by former Akira Kurosawa protégée […]
Peeping Tom (1960) – A rightfully reappraised masterwork (Review)
Following a run of classics that he created with Emeric Pressburger, director Michael Powell made his second solo feature with 1960’s Peeping Tom. Now considered a masterpiece that is an ancestor of the slasher subgenre, however, the feeling was much different upon release as the film was so vilified that […]
Samurai Wolf (1966) & Samurai Wolf II (1967) Isao Natsuyagi’s potential killer franchise (Review)
Having come up through the ranks at Fuji TV as both a producer and a director, Hideo Gosha still faced a huge divide between those that worked in the honoured tradition of cinema and those working in that new upstart fad called Television. In fact, this well regarded director would […]
When Taekwondo Strikes (1973) Luring Audiences back after the passing of a Universal Star (Review)
July 20th 1973. A date shrouded in mystery as it is tragedy. The world lost a hero, but created a legend, one that thrives to this day. However, as with most legends, the story varies greatly from storyteller to storyteller, each version getting more lurid and conspiratorial in nature, until […]
High Tension (2003) Loved and Loathed in Equal Measure (Review)
Saw may have ushered in a new wave of gritty “torture-porn” horror in the States, but by the time that James Wan’s modern classic hit U.S. cinemas in late 2004, filmmakers in France were already two steps ahead of the curve. Characterised by bleak tones, grungy colour palettes, and extended […]