Another day, another release from Second Run of a Czech film that fell foul of the authorities as the optimism of the Prague Spring gave way to the reassertion of Soviet control and the period of normalisation that took a hold of the country until the eventual collapse of the […]
Reviews
To Sleep So As To Dream (1986): silent Japanese dream detectives! (Review)
The fictional detective is a rational creature. As soon as detective stories were invented, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle were using their sleuths to reveal the mundane truth behind apparently supernatural events; the latter’s maxim that when you have eliminated the impossible, what remains – however improbable – […]
Classic Film Kid: Modern Times (1936)(Review)
Hello everyone, welcome to another review from the Classic Film Kid! Today we are travelling back to the 1930s and covering Modern Times – one of the most iconic films written by, directed and starring the legendary Charlie Chaplin. This silent film explores his iconic Little Tramp character navigating his […]
Odd Couple (1979) Masterpiece of Action… there’s also some Comedy (Blu-ray Review)
A few short years ago, if you were a fan of Hong Kong Action or Martial arts cinema – the blu-ray market that has been in such a boom era for the small but avid base of collectors elsewhere, saw you overlooked. Hong Kong action hasn’t improved much, but Martial […]
Homebound (2021) Claustrophobic Debut Horror (Glasgow Fright Fest Review)
During a horror movie, it is common practice for the audience to urge a character to run away. Our level of engagement may well be influenced by how characters respond to threatening situations. Respond sensibly and we’re on board; respond stupidly, as is all too often the case, and we […]
The Phantom of the Monastery (1934); A Well Preserved Piece of Mexican Film History (Review)
In a world premiere on Blu-Ray, Indicator has released a restoration of Mexican horror The Phantom of the Monastery / El Fantasma del Convento from 1934. It follows a group of three lost on a walk who meets a mysterious man and his dog, Shadow, who leads them to the […]
A Time for Dying (1969) Audie Murphy’s Last Stand (Review)
Here’s a curio released by Indicator Powerhouse this week, the final film of both director Bud Boetticher and star Audie Murphy, A Time for Dying was made in 1969 but didn’t actually receive a cinema release until 1982, having been tied up with litigation in the intervening thirteen years. This […]
Pale Flower (1964) Humble, Contrarian Anti-Yakuza Classic (Review)
In the solitary extra of Criterion’s new Blu-ray of 1964’s Pale Flower, Masahiro Shinoda says that his writers wanted to make something fresh, something Shochiku studio wasn’t doing. In the 1960s, Yakuza cinema was full of rough boys driven by anger and anachronistic musical numbers. The leading men were manly […]
Boat People (1982): Ann Hui’s controversial snapshot of post-war Vietnam (Review)
There’s an extra on Criterion UK’s Blu-Ray of Ann Hui’s 1982 film Boat People that’s so good, I’d like to beg your indulgence to deal with it before we get to the main feature. Keep Rolling is a two-hour documentary about Hui’s life and career by Man Lim-Chung. Made in […]
Mandrake (2022) Unbalanced yet promising Irish Folk Horror (Glasgow Fright Fest Review)
Horror is a genre with many conventions, and adherence or non-adherence to these conventions are what can make or break a horror film. Slow and suggestive can be more effective than fast and furious; commitment to a straightforward premise may work better than a set of convoluted and unnecessary elements. […]