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Film Review: ‘The Fighter’
★★★☆☆ A lot can happen in six years. Just six years ago, the planet was still iPhone free, Tony Blair was ruling the country and if asked about 3D cinema, most members of the public would probably have dismissed the concept as an archaic, faddish novelty. It was also just over six years ago that we…
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Forgotten Classic: ‘Cocktail’
I know what most of the discerning film connoisseurs amongst you are thinking. Surely he doesn’t mean the appalling 1988 Tom Cruise film, and if he does, can somebody please put this man in a straight jacket and ensure he is never allowed to express his opinions on a public forum again.I understand your concerns,…
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ICA: Exploring the Craft of the Moving Image
BAFTA and the ICA present a unique series of masterclasses led by award-winning practitioners from the worlds of film, television and video games at the ICA throughout February and March 2011. On 2 February, BAFTA welcomes Nicolas Chaudeurge to the ICA. Having trained at the National Film and Television School, Nicolas has been editing drama…
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DVD Releases: ‘Deadfall’
From start to finish, Bryan Forbes’ Deadfall (1968) glimmers with the gloss of a 1960’s classic heist thriller, very much in the vein of Ocean’s Eleven (1960) or Topkapi (1964), and presents itself as a truly attractive film with its easy-on-the-eye cast, wonderful cinematography, and classical camera work.During a stay at a sanatorium for recovering alcoholics,…
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DVD Review: ‘A Swedish Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy’
★☆☆☆☆ Not to be confused with Woody Allen’s 1982 feature A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy, A Swedish Midsummer Sex Comedy, or Äntligen midsommar! (2009) as it is known in Sweden, is the latest offering from director Ian McCrudden. First things first; here’s what the synopsis in the press notes has to say:“A beautiful waterfront house, a…
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DVD Releases: ‘Decision Before Dawn’
Filmed in postwar Germany in much the same way as a number of Italian Neorealist efforts, Michael Anatole Litvak’s Decision Before Dawn (1951) concerns the moral grey area of treason and treachery in regards to two German soldiers who are hired by American forces to spy on their motherland during the Second World War’s closing months. The cast as…
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DVD Releases: ‘The Thin Red Line’
Andrew Marton’s The Thin Red Line (1964), an adaptation of James Jones’ novel (later adapted by Terrence Malick), is a psychological study of men of war – their intentions, fears, masculinity and interrelationships – during the Battle of Guadalcanal. The central relationship between Keir Dullea’s young, naive Pvt. Doll and Jack Warden’s fatalistic First Sgt.…
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DVD Review: ‘Kill Speed’
★☆☆☆☆ Picture the scene: you’re walking through your local HMV (other retailers are available) and you’re looking to buy a movie because you’ve got the boys coming over for some gaming and beers. The perfect genre to pick for such an occasion is the ‘dumb but rather fun’ action flick – a film that is…
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DVD Review: ‘Dare’
★★☆☆☆ It’s amazing to think what a difference 5 years and an extra 76 minutes can make. Adam Salky’s Dare (2009) originally began life as a 16 minute short before evolving into its final feature form. It tells the tale of awkward drama wannabe Alexa (Emmy Rossum), closet gay lighting technician Ben (Ashley Springer) and standard “hottie” (Zach…
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DVD Releases: ’22 Bullets’
From the shores of France comes Richard Berry’s 22 Bullets (2010), a surprisingly average gangster thriller starring everyone’s favourite French gunsmith Jean Reno. Reno plays Charley Mattei, a former gangster who has given up the thrill of life in the criminal underworld to spend time with his children. However, a hit is put out on him and…
EIFF 2026