Adam Lowes

★☆☆☆☆ One of the earlier attempts to forge a creative and commercial symbiosis between the gaming and cinematic world, Super Mario Bros (1993) still stands out as a prime example of what not to do when trying to construct a watertight feature-length narrative on the foundations of a simplistic platform game. Effectively killing the filmmaking…

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★★★★☆ Jon Favreau returns from the creative wilderness following 2011’s tepid and workmanlike Cowboys & Aliens, cooking up something entirely different with latest offering Chef (2014). While unquestionably a slice of feel-good Hollywood wish fulfilment (complete with a credibility-straining fairy-tale ending), Favreau proves he can still do smaller and intimate, producing a fine-looking, immensely enjoyable…

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★★☆☆☆ The Blaxploitation movement was renowned for bringing its own unique cultural spin to many well-trodden genres, and the world of classic horror proved to be no exception. Now Eureka Classics have brought their considerable restorative skills to a couple of arguably lesser-known films from the era, Blacula (1972) and its sequel Scream Blacula, Scream…

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★★★★☆ It’s easy to forget that before the commercialisation of youth culture, movements emerged which offered a grand escapism and an exciting alternative to the safe, homogeneous product being fed to teens and twentysomethings. During the early 1970s, Northern Soul was a mini phenomenon and allusions to the acid house generation which emerged a decade…

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★★★★☆ In a town hardly renowned for its nurturing instincts and loyalty, Shep Gordon would appear to be something of an anomaly. The veteran talent manager – a job title which is as interchangeable as they come – has amassed a horde of A-list friends and clients over his decades and its one of those…

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★★★★☆ It’s always heartening to witness a triumphant return to filmmaking form, and David Gordon Green’s Joe (2013) represents something of a double whammy. The American director’s strong grasp of character and setting was evident in his other feature from last year, Prince Avalanche (2013), but Joe sees Green masterfully back on top form. The…

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★★★★★ The collective disaffection expressed by the geek contingent when it was revealed that Frank Darabont was exiting as showrunner on The Walking Dead during the show’s second season proved ultimately redundant. The show has only grown in reputation and quality since his departure and now the fourth season makes its blistering debut on DVD…

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★★☆☆☆ Watching 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), a belated sequel to Zack Snyder’s blockbusting swords and sandals breakthrough 300 (2006), you can just envision the simple studio proviso submitted to director Noam Murro this time around (“Do what the last guy did but crank up the slow motion action quota tenfold”). The ‘if ain’t…

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★★★☆☆ Arrow Video has once again dug down deep into the cornucopia of neglected cult titles to unearth a gem. Thom Eberhardt’s cheaply-made but impressive-looking apocalyptic sci-fi/horror yarn, 1984’s Night of the Comet is George A. Romero-style zombie invasion infused with a Valley girl sensibility. While it doesn’t quite have the budget or resourcefulness to…

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★★★★★ Celebrating the 50th anniversary with a special gold-rimmed Steelbook, it’s easy to see why Guy Hamilton’s Goldfinger (1964) remains, for many, the quintessential 007 outing. Bond’s tussle with bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger (did he get into the trade due to his surname, or was it a coincidence?) is a handsome affair which oozes class…

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