 |
 |
| 24 Feb 2020 |
|
|
| Holiday |
| Holiday is the feature debut of Swedish director Isabella Eklöf. Don’t expect to see this film on afternoon TV. It’s a steel cold, uncompromising examination of male power from a female perspective. Camus recognises the talent if not the film’s non-existent feel-good factor… |
|
|
 |
21 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
21 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 20 Feb 2020 |
|
|
| The Pillow Book |
| It's taken a good few years for Slarek to warm to the distinctive cinema of Peter Greenaway, but in the process of revisiting the hypnotic and visually and aurally striking The Pillow Book on Indicator's handsome new Blu-ray, he's become an enthusiastic convert. |
|
|
|
19 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
17 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 16 Feb 2020 |
|
|
| Son of the Sheik |
| Rudolph Valentino was an icon of the silent era and died just two weeks before the release of his final film at the age of just 31. Slarek heads out to the desert to explore the positive aspects and the things that haven't aged so well of The Son of the Sheik on Masters of Cinema Blu-ray. |
|
|
|
| 12 Feb 2020 |
|
|
| Hôtel du Nord |
| When a young couple check in to a Parisian hotel, their actions have an impact on the owners and guests in Hôtel du Nord, Marcel Carné's wonderful 1936 poetic realist drama. Slarek checks in and falls in love with a classic film on the newly released Arrow Academy Blu-ray. |
|
|
|
| 11 Feb 2020 |
|
|
| Secret Friends |
| Dennis Potter was an extraordinary talent. Famous for writing The Singing Detective and Pennies From Heaven, two landmark TV dramas of the 80s, he stepped behind the camera in 1991 to adapt his novel Ticket To Ride. Camus gets on board. |
|
|
|
10 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
10 Feb
2020 |
|
|
| The Man with X-Ray Eyes on Limited Edition Blu-ray in April |
| Ray Milland plays a scientist whose obsession with expanding the powers of human sight leads to an experiment that transforms his life in Roger Corman's cult horror/sf favourite The Man With X-Ray Eyes, which comes to Limited Edition Blu-ray in April from Second Sight. |
|
|
 |
9 Feb
2020 |
|
|
| The circus is over: a tribute to Kirk Douglas |
| More pledges broken. In an effort to kickstart the weekly blogs that he promised himself he would deliver weekly this year (oh do be serious), Slarek takes a brief break from reviewing to pay tribute to Kirk Douglas, who died this week aged 103. |
|
|
|
7 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
6 Feb
2020 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| 21 Jan 2020 |
|
|
| Orphans |
| Slarek's second viewing of Orphans, Peter Mullan's first feature as a director upset him so much that he didn't want to write about it, but a third viewing saw him fall in love with what is one of the most perceptive examinations of grief committed to film, and it's backed by a sublime set of extras on Indicator's terrific Blu-ray release. |
|
|
 |
2 Feb
2020 |
|
|
| Dolittle |
| Opening on the 7 February is a mainstream film that has become more famous for its failure Stateside to drum up a decent first weekend’s business than any other aspect. Camus wonders how difficult it is to screw up Dolittle given today’s tech and is satisfied to report that it’s not all bad… |
|
|
|
| 21 Jan 2020 |
|
|
| Night Tide |
| A young Dennis Hopper in his first lead role plays a sailor on leave who falls for a woman who may not be all she seems in Curtis Harrington's layered and compellingly developed debut feature. Slarek responds to the call of the sea with Indicator's superb 2-disc Blu-ray. |
|
|
|
| 19 Jan 2020 |
|
|
| Winter Kills |
| Despite a stellar cast, some serious behind the scenes talent and being based on a book by the author of The Manchurian Candidate’, Winter Kills opened and closed within a week in 1979. It may be the most bizarre Hollywood film Camus has ever seen… |
|
|
|
| 15 Jan 2020 |
|
|
| Cloak and Dagger |
| Gary Cooper plays a scientist who goes undercover during WWII when evidence is found that the Nazis are looking to built an atom bomb in Fritz Lang's gripping espionage thriller Cloak and Dagger. Slarek looks at the film and marvels at what Eureka have fitted on to one Masters of Cinema Blu-ray. |
|
|
|
14 Jan
2020 |
|
|
| 1917 |
| Sam Mendes found a germ of inspiration in his grandfather’s stories about WWI and after Spectre’s virtuoso opening shot, was galvanized to co-write and direct an entire film ‘in one take’. Camus braves the sniper’s bullets (and the guest stars)… |
|
|
|
| 10 Jan 2020 |
|
|
| Resurrected |
| Director Paul Greengrass is something of a cinematic role model. He’s technically brilliant, passionately political and manages success on all size screens and budgets. Welcome to his cinematic debut, Resurrected. Camus tries to avoid a regimental bath… |
|
|
 |
8 Jan
2020 |
|
|
| The nightmare before Christmas: Slarek's pick of 2019 |
| A few days later than planned (of course), Slarek picks some of his favourite films and discs from 2019, curses the fact that he didn't see more, and goes on the expected rant about the government and the impending death of honesty and truth. |
|
|
|
7 Jan
2020 |
|
|
| Jojo Rabbit |
| Taika Waititi, the New Zealand director burst on to the international arena with What We Do In The Shadows, a glorious vampire comedy. After success with Thor: Ragnarok, he returns to more modest, controversial filmmaking. Camus joins the resistance… |
|
|
|
3 Jan
2020 |
|
|
| Little Women |
| The seventh screen incarnation of Little Women, a seminal novel written in 1868, is an absolute delight. Director and indie favourite Greta Gerwig directs with absolute trust in her actors’ capabilities. Camus is won over by the sincere heart at the film’s core… |
|
|
|
| 29 Dec 2019 |
|
|
| Ironweed |
| After a break of a few days for the sort of personal reasons we all tend to indulge at this time of year, Slarek continues our mop-up of missed reviews with a look at the bare-bones Eureka Classics Blu-ray release of Héctor Babenco's star-headlined but sobering Ironweed. |
|
|
