The above quotes are from Paul Robeson in relation to a 1935 picture he made for the filmmaker Zoltan Korda titled Sanders of the River. Based on the stories of Edgar Wallace, the film was set in Colonial Nigeria and the Hungarian-born Korda (brother of director, producer and writer Alexander […]
Reviews
Twentieth Century (1934)- An Underrated Screwball Comedy (Review)
Howard Hawks is, in my opinion, one of the best filmmakers to come out of Hollywood. He could easily switch between genres, cranking out comedies and dramas that both audiences and critics loved. His filmography includes Scarface (1932), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday […]
Mind-Set (2023) A Bittersweet Observation of Modern Love (Review)
Released on demand and in select cinemas tomorrow, Mind-Set is the feature-length directorial debut of Scottish filmmaker, academic and festival programmer Mikey Murray, who also wrote the screenplay. The film is a story for our time, concerning a couple played by American actor Eilis Cahill (Mad), and Steve Oram (Sightseers), […]
Kramer’s Last Will: Saw X (Review)(2023)
Courage is the catalyst of time, and when courage rallies against injustice, history is made. If courage is pushing through whilst fearful, instead of the absence of fear itself, Jigsaw is the punctuation in that well-known quote. Saw X is the latest instalment into John Kramer’s life, and when he […]
Fist of the Condor (2023) – John Wick star leads a strange, uneven Chilean beat-’em-up (Review)
The impact of the John Wick franchise on modern action cinema cannot be overstated, and its ultra-slick camerawork and gorgeously sexy lighting have led many to imitate, but none to better. It’s also elevated stunt work across the globe to borderline high art, and franchise helmsman Chad Stahelski’s own tenure as […]
Nightmare (2023) Thinly spread Horror that tries to wear too many hats (Review)
“To sleep, perchance to dream” said Hamlet, who was actually contemplating death rather than just forty winks when he uttered those famous words, but what happens when dreaming becomes invasive, violent and deadly? That’s the premise of ‘Nightmare’ – Norway’s answer to ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’, complete with its […]
Calvaire (2004) – Grim and Nasty New French Extremity (Review)
Despite its Belgian production, Calvaire (2004 – also known as The Ordeal), became an integral film within the cinematic phenomena of New French Extremity that reared its grim and nasty head around the birth of the new millennium. The movement that championed directors such as Gaspar Noé, Pascal Laugier, Xavier […]
Blood and Black Lace (1964) Style Over Substance in Vignettes of Violence (Review)
Newly restored from its original negative and presented in its original uncut form, Mario Bava’s classic 1964 giallo Blood and Black Lace has recently been released by the good people at Arrow Films. Starring Cameron Mitchell and Eva Bartok, this stylish slasher concerns a series of murders centring around Rome’s […]
Time Addicts (2023) The Foul-Mouthed Sleeper Comedy of 2023? (Review)
Time Addicts is one of the most singular concoctions that I’ve seen in some time. It tells a tale of time travelling, drug addiction, and eventually, intergenerational neglect and trauma, and all within the guise of an australian stoner comedy in possession of the godly gift of creative (bad) language. […]
The Guard from Underground (1992): Kiyoshi’s Kurosawa’s Brutal Nineties Slasher (Review)
Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has explored a variety of genres in a career spanning over forty years, and this release of his fourth feature, The Guard from Underground, demonstrates that his confidence in genre-hopping came early on. The film begins as a work-based drama, but gradually shifts into slasher horror as […]