Reviews
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DVD Releases: ‘Repo Men’
The title Repo Men (2010) brings Darren Lynn Bousman’s Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) to mind and indeed the two films share some significant similarities. Both take place in a not too distant future, where organs are sold on credit and repossessed if the patent falls behind on his payments; both boast significantly visceral scenes of gore…
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DVD Review: ‘Dogtooth’
★★★★☆ Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth (2009) is an unsettling examination of how easily the desire to control others can lead to tyranny. The film follows three teenagers confined with their parents in an isolated Greek country house. Surrounded by high fences on all sides and in possession of a carefully manicured lawn and swimming pool, their lodgings give a whole new…
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DVD Releases: ‘Largo Winch’
A conspiracy-thriller in the mould of a Bourne movie, Largo Winch (2008) is a predominantly French production based on a comic book series by Belgian writer/artist team Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme. The big screen adaptation features an international cast and a variety of exotic locations, as the estranged, secretly-adopted son of an assassinated…
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Film Review: "The Expendables"
★★★★☆ The intent behind The Expendables (2010) is now legendary; a chance to bring back the past action stars of yore, all heralded under heavyweight director/writer/star Sylvester Stallone’s banner. The Expendables introduces (or should that be re-introduces) us to a gang of mercenaries, hard as nails but with hearts as big as their biceps, including…
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Film Review: ‘Mother’
★★★★☆ Revered director Bong Joon-ho is one of a number of South Korean directors that have (rightly) garnered recognition for his cinematic work in the West. His latest film Mother (2009), is a wonderful achievement which deserves just as much praise as his monster hit The Host (2006), and once again utilizes scenes of both graphic violence and ingeniously…
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DVD Review: ‘Centurion’
★★★☆☆ In the aftermath of the announced abolition of the UK Film Council by the UK Coalition government, much has been made on how this will directly affect the country’s ability to firstly support its home ground talent, and secondly, the UK film industry’s capacity for competing with its European neighbours and Hollywood.Whilst many notable…
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Theatrical Releases: ‘Splice’
Splice is a film with a lot to live up to. Firstly, it comes from Vicenzo Natali, the writer/director of Cube (1997): one of the best horror/sci-fi hybrids in recent memory. Secondly, Splice is Natali’s attempt to revive ‘body-horror’, a horror sub-genre that has been largely dormant since the 1980s.Recent body-horror offerings have either been…
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DVD Releases: ‘Hierro’
There’s something ultimately disappointing about the latest supernatural Spanish horror Hierro: it’s certainly stylishly shot and edited, its lead actress is impressive as a woman drained with grief and longing, and the plot is satisfyingly mysterious. However, as a film which has been boldly marketed as emanating “from the producers of Pan’s Labyrinth and The…
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Theatrical Releases: ‘Gainsbourg’
If there’s one thing that Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg (2010) – an innovative biopic of cult French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg – told me, it’s that he smoked…a lot. And sometimes, he didn’t shave for a few days. He also had an extraordinary allure for women since pre-pubescence. However, this was about all the insight provided by…
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Theatrical Releases: ‘When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors’
“If you remember the 60s then you weren’t there”. This common illustration of the 1960s is not only verified in the documentary When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors (2009) for those who were unfortunately not at the party, but no doubt sheds some light on those who have forgotten.Oliver Stone offered a kaleidoscopic…