Daniel Gumble
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Special Feature: The Best Films of 2011
The New Year is nearly upon us, and so to celebrate the denouement of what has been a fantastic 2011, CineVue’s top staff writers have provided a rundown of their unique personal Top 5 films of the year, as well as the most exceptional director and actor of the last twelve months of new releases. 2011…
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Film Review: ‘Surviving Life’
★★★★★ Surviving Life (2011), Jan Švankmajer’s latest cinematic work, offers little in the way of surprises to those familiar with his unique directorial style, yet still manages to succeed in creating a psychoanalytical masterpiece through a combination of striking visuals and an endearing story of love and fantasy.Taking on the role of the protagonist himself,…
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DVD Review: ‘Five Minarets in New York’
★★☆☆☆ In its attempt to address the controversial subject of the world’s paranoia towards Islam, Mahsun Kirmizigül’s Five Minarets in New York (2010) somehow manages to hit all the wrong notes with its lack of subtlety and preachy tone.Like so many post 9/11 films, which have set out to tackle the theme of Islam’s relationship…
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DVD Review: ‘Come on Eileen’
★★☆☆☆ In its attempt to tackle themes of loneliness, alcoholism and adolescence, Finola Geraghty’s Come on Eileen (2010) fails to successfully break into the category of gritty social realism, eventually lapsing into the realm of melodrama and soap opera in spite of its best efforts.Focusing on Eileen (Jackie Howe), a forty-something single parent of two…
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Blu-ray Review: ‘The Conversation’
★★★★☆ Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation (1974) – which stars Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Teri Garr, Harrison Ford, and Frederic Forrest – has taken on something of a cult status since its release almost 38 years ago. Having been shot between two Godfathers, and with Apocalypse Now (1979) making its appearance shortly afterwards,…
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Film Review: ‘Paranormal Activity 3’
★☆☆☆☆ After the generally well-received original Paranormal Activity (2009) and its quick successor, the coma-inducing Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), it’s no surprise to see Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) topping the UK box office. Yet directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman have managed to create a cataclysmic abomination of a film, forever tarnishing the reputation of…
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Blu-ray Review: ‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’
★★★★☆ Loosely based upon the real life crimes of American serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) takes a chilling and disturbing look at the fractured psyche of a severely unhinged individual. Rather than creating a direct interpretation of the murderous exploits of Lucas (Michael Rooker), McNaughton opts…
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DVD Review: ‘Hidden 3D’
★☆☆☆☆ It has to be said that Antoine Thomas’ Hidden (2011) is unquestionably one of the worst films I have seen in a very long time, let alone 2011. A more preposterous combination of plot, performances and directorial incompetence I struggle to recall, as Hidden manages to fail on just about every count in its…
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Blu-ray Review: ‘Manhunter’
★★☆☆☆ For many, the infamous name of Hannibal Lecter will forever be synonymous with the performance of Sir Anthony Hopkins in Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991). However, one of the big screen’s most notorious villains was first portrayed by fellow Brit Brian Cox in Michael Mann’s Manhunter (1986), which also stars William…
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DVD Review: ‘The Panic in Needle Park’
★★★☆☆ Dramas confronting the issue of heroin abuse are a particularly difficult challenge for filmmakers. The balance between creating an image of stark, unflinching reality and simply settling for cheap shock tactics is, indeed, a fine one. Jerry Schatzberg’s The Panic in Needle Park (1971) – starring a fresh-faced Al Pacino – certainly falls into…