Arrow’s release of Sleep / Schlaf, the debut feature of German director Michael Venus, on Blu-ray is not to be slept on. Puns aside, the film lives up to its name with a dreamy aesthetic and storyline that creeps under your skin. We start with Marlene playing a game of […]
directorial debut
HOME MOVIE (2008) The Right Recipe for a Found Footage Horror Classic, but… (Review)
Smooth Talk (1985): should now be considered an American classic (Review)
For a reissue of a quiet, low-key movie that isn’t all that well-known, Criterion’s new Blu-Ray of Joyce Chopra’s feature debut Smooth Talk has to do a lot. First off, it has to contribute to correcting the gender imbalance in Criterion’s library, although it isn’t shouldering that burden alone. Over […]
Medusa Deluxe (2022) Social Realist Murder Mystery with all the Pizzazz (Review)
Medusa Deluxe (2022) is a murder mystery thriller set in the backbiting world of competitive hairdressing. Big hair and even bigger egos collide in a tense and taut mystery that keeps the viewer guessing until the very end. Medusa Deluxe is like Showgirls with more hair extensions. Fabulous, extravagant and […]
From Black (2023) A rehash of very much discovered Horror territory (Review)
Rituals and resurrections are the themes of Shudder’s latest original offering, From Black, but how does one go about raising the dead and haven’t we seen this all somewhere before? Recently bereaved and recovering addict Cora (Anna Camp, playing against type) is plagued with guilt following the disappearance and subsequent […]
The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future (2022)(Review)
The Virgin Suicides (1999) – the haunting, silencing cries for help (Blu-Ray Review)
As gentle music plays across the opening moments (of the Virgin Suicides), a sunny day captures families playing outside within a sleepy suburb. This picture-perfect glimpse at the neighbourhood is contrasted with an indoor scene, as Cecilia Lisbon (Hanna R. Hall) – the youngest of five sisters – attempts suicide. […]
Emily the Criminal (2022): Solid Thriller Showcases Plaza’s Skill (Review)
It’s a familiar and well-worn assumption that when an actor known primarily for comedy starts doing serious drama, they will likely get instant acclaim for showing previously unseen range. However, that narrative doesn’t really hold water much these days with actors going back and forth between comedy and drama with […]
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 […]
Wayfinder (2022): a wilderness that could do with more wildness (Review)
Normally, when reviewing a debut feature, it’s fruitless to look to the director’s back catalogue for comparison points. Either they’re so new that there aren’t any, or you relegate yourself to pointing out the obvious. (Try not to fall off your chair, but I think Emma Seligman’s 2018 short Shiva […]