Tak Sakaguchi retiring was a bit of a running joke once upon a time, with news reports flipping sides on a near-daily basis. “Today he isn’t retiring, tomorrow he is”. Unfortunately, the ‘speed master’, friend of Sion Sono, and surprisingly good actor within the martial arts community faded from our […]
Eureka
House (1977) Completely within its own erratic, mesmerising orbit (Review)
There’s a tiresome tendency among Westerners to squeal “wtf japan lol” every time a Japanese film exhibits a minor eccentricity, but sometimes you have to acknowledge a film is very strange. That’s the case with 1977’s House, now released on Blu-Ray by Eureka Masters of Cinema. House was a massive hit […]
New World (2013) The Perfect entry point to Korean Gangster Movies (Review)
Manina, the Lighthouse-Keeper’s Daughter (1949) Host to the Best Extra Feature of 2017? (Review)
Let’s get the big issue out of the way first: Eureka’s new Blu-ray release of Manina, the Lighthouse-Keeper’s Daughter by Willy Rozier boasts the most unexpected and delightful extra feature of the year. It actually pertains not to the title feature, but to another Rozier film included as a bonus, […]
Kills on Wheels (2016) Two brilliant, searingly honest films flimsily stuck together (Review)
Representation is the big issue – who is having their stories told and which actors are being deprived of acting opportunities. Unfortunately, race and gender are as far as this dialogue has been extended. People who have lifelong disabilities either by accident or birth are seeing opportunities hoovered up by […]
Cinema Eclectica 128 – TAG! Stephen King’s It!
The Saga of Anatahan (1953) The creativity of the final film and the significance of subtitles (Review)
Westfront 1918 & Kameradschaft (1930/1) One of Germany’s best at the peak of his powers (Review)
Cinema Eclectica 118 – Beachy Beachy Fun Times With The Rock
Rob and Graham go head to head after accidentally super-gluing their foreheads together. It’s a two-man show this week that starts with an uncharacteristically adorable preview before normal service resumes in Off the Shelf with the Western “One Eyed Jack’s” from Arrow Academy, the Eastern “Harmonium” from Eureka/Masters of Cinema, […]
The Olive Tree (2016) Spanish Social Realism and the history of our homelands (Review)
The Olive Tree (or El Olivo as it’s known in its native Spanish) is director Icíar Bollaín’s third collaboration with the writer and long-term screenwriting partner of Ken Loach, Paul Laverty. It is an aesthetically beautiful, heartfelt and spiritual film that explores the notions of hope, tradition, history and economic […]