Prominent Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg returns to territory previously tackled in his much-lauded feature Festen (1998) this week with The Hunt (Jagten, 2012), a taught Scandinavian morality tale starring world cinema darling Mads Mikkelsen. Wrongly accused of molesting a young child (also the daughter of his best friend), kindly primary Continue Reading
Following on from the success of last year’s critically acclaimed occult horror Kill List (2011), rising filmmaker Ben Wheatley may not seem the most obvious choice for helming an off-beat British comedy set in the great outdoors. Yet, the world of comic drama was exactly where the Billericay-born director first cut Continue Reading
★☆☆☆☆ Infamous for its scenes of graphic real sex juxtaposed with acts of brutal violence (the latter thankfully simulated), Virginie Despentes and Coralie Trinh Thi’s Baise-moi (2000) is released this week on DVD in its original uncut form, courtesy of cult film specialists Arrow Video. Sadly, thirteen years on from Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ Released by the BFI to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Roundabout: A Year in Colour 1963 is a collection of ‘cine-magazines’ from the titular year. Developed by the British government for distribution throughout Southeast Asia, these ‘propaganda’ shorts were produced monthly and designed to promote British values and manufacturing. Made Continue Reading
★★★★★ March saw the 11th Kinoteka Polish Film Festival take place across the UK – highlight being was a trio of rereleased masterpieces. Those films have now been pulled together for Second Run’s Polish Cinema Classics Volume II. The collection consists of Andrzej Wajda’s The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana, 1975), Wojciech Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ Arrow Video continues their quest to unearth respected, semi-forgotten genre works and give them a loving home on DVD and Blu-ray with Wes Craven’s 1981 religious horror-drama, Deadly Blessing. A young farmer, excommunicated from his family who are involved in an archaic, fire and brimstone religious sect called ‘the Hittites’ Continue Reading
★★★★☆ Piecing together the impressive first three films in what could well become an illustrious and bountiful directorial career, La Folie d’Amour: The Xavier Dolan Collection offers the chance to experience the work of precocious enfant terrible and Quebecois hotshot Xavier Dolan. The writer, director, producer, sometimes-actor and editor of Continue Reading