★★★☆☆ The Coen brothers’ 1984 debut feature Blood Simple is a tense and gritty slice of film noir loaded with dodgy deals, double-crossing and duplicity. It’s perhaps no surprise then that this week, StudioCanal have decided to release a new director’s cut. Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya) is the owner of Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ An analysis of the Step Up! and/or Bring It On franchises would show that both sets of films follow a particular formula. Directed by Jason Moore, Pitch Perfect (2012) is very much of the same ilk. Inspired by TV shows such as Glee, this ensemble comedy should be commended Continue Reading
Last year, Coventry University East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) founder Spencer Murphy had the pleasure of interviewing acclaimed Hong Kong auteur Pang Ho-cheung, alongside producer Subi Liang and scriptwriter Jody Luk. All three were in attendance at the 14th Udine Far East Film Festival to support the screening of their Continue Reading
★★★★☆ The seedy-sounding premise of Pang Ho-cheung’s Vulgaria (2012) may put-off some viewers with a sensitive disposition, but this Hong Kong sex comedy errs more on the side of fun than filth. Following the story of To (actor-director Chapman To), a struggling film producer forced to make a pornographic picture Continue Reading
★★★★☆ To caption Lisa Aschan’s debut feature She Monkeys (Apflickorna, 2011) as a tale of burgeoning sapphic desire amidst the intense world of equestrian vaulting is by no means erroneous. Originally produced as part of the Swedish Film Institute’s ‘Rookie Project’, it went on to receive high praise on the Continue Reading
★★★★★ A huge box office earner in its native Ireland last year, Lenny Abrahamson’s What Richard Did (2012) went on to sweep the board at January’s Irish Film and Television Awards. What’s more, both the financial success and critical accolades are entirely justifiable. It’s seldom you see a coming-of-age film Continue Reading
