CineVue
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Theatrical Releases: ‘The Collector’
As a horror fan, it is tempting to defend what has come to be called ‘Torture Porn’ if only because the sub-genre has dominated the horror market for the last six years, and also because the genre has its genesis in Saw (2004), a genuinely commendable film that pioneered a new kind of horror, forcing…
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Special Feature: Wong Kar Wai – a reappraisal
Wong Kar Wai is no stranger to controversy – from the dark shades he always seems to have on to the lack of scripts in the production process of his films. But even in spite of that – or perhaps thanks to that – he has made a name for himself as an auteur in…
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DVD Review: ‘The Perfect Sleep’
★★☆☆☆ “Sorry if it seems kind of cliché, but the French dig this kind of visual…and I dig the French”. These are the telling, if bizarre, words from The Perfect Sleep’s (2009) unnamed protagonist, moments after narrating a somewhat baffling prologue to the film’s events. Orchestrated by first-time director Jeremy Alter, the film can almost…
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Blu-ray Review: ‘Donnie Darko’
★★★★★ When first released, Donnie Darko (2001) screened in a handful of cinemas across America for little over a month, crippled by a low budget, a lack of interest and the recent trauma of 9/11. Now, nine years later, Donnie Darko prepares to enter the cinematic Valhalla as Richard Kelly’s debut cult classic is rereleased…
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Film Review: ‘Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter’
★★☆☆☆ After the disappointment of Shrek the Third in 2007, there wasn’t much expectation for a fourth Shrek movie. Many felt that the franchise was tired and the anti-fairytale formula was exhausted. Nevertheless, DreamWorks Animation obviously thought there was life in the old dog yet; the final instalment of the franchise saw its release last…
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Film Review: ‘Inception’
★★★★☆ When we’re dreaming, time moves differently. We don’t notice while we’re sleeping, but it does; a second of real time can feel like minutes, or even hours, in dream-time. It’s a concept that’s taken to its thrilling logical conclusion in Inception (2010), as writer/director Christopher Nolan spins out a tale of action, love, loss and…
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DVD Releases: ‘Youth in Revolt’
Based on the novel by C.D. Payne, Arteta’s direction sets the premise for an intelligent and witty take on the plight of the teen, and a strong supporting cast including Zach Galifianakis, Steve Buscemi and Justin Long should have surely elevated Youth in Revolt (2009) to the heights of success. Unfortunately, the film struggles to become much…
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DVD Review: ‘The Dinner Party’
★☆☆☆☆ TV soap operas have often proved to be the perfect platform for young acting talent to cut their thespian teeth. Australia’s hugely successful soap export Neighbours helped to launch the acting careers of Alan Dale (Entourage, Lost) and Guy Pearce (LA Confidential [1997], Memento [2000]), whilst its main antipodean ratings rival Home and Away…
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Special Feature: The Japanese gender issue
The celebration of the female director has become paramount to film festivals globally. This years, The Japan Foundation dedicated their annual touring film program to the rise of involvement for women in the film industry, entitled ‘Girls on Film: Females in Japanese Film industry‘.Whilst there is no denying that the global film industry is still considerably male…
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DVD Review: ‘Resurrecting the Street Walker’
★★☆☆☆ Much like his debut film’s aspiring intern protagonist James Parker (James Powell), British director Ozgur Uyanik struggles to reign in his ambitious, yet ultimately flawed first feature, Resurrecting the Street Walker (2009), which wears its influences very visibly on its sleeve.Utilizing the tried and tested ‘mockumentary’ format, echoing recent horror mock-docs such as The Last…