Editoriality
Hello dearest reader, welcome to those of you that are new, and thank you to those of you that made the journey over from blogspot with me. Blogspot’s recent developments have finally pushed me over to wordpress, having long been a naysayer of my new provider. Alas, it has proven to be a much more … Read more
They Live! (1988)
John Carpenter’s They Live! starring professional wrestler Roddy Piper happens to be a rather fun piece of 80′s popcorn cinema, whilst maintaining something of a more political idealogy than most of its sort. The film actually reminds of early-Cronenberg in parts, with the biting satire of They Live! similar to that of Videodrome. For … Read more
Rollerball (1975)
Rollerball, the James Caan starring dystopian action drama, is perhaps most famous for the disastrous 2002 remake that it inspired, yet taken on its own merits its a largely enjoyable, if overlong example of the cockaigne cinema of the mid to late seventies. Alongside such films as the original Death Race and Michael Crichton’s Westworld the fears of … Read more
Blue Collar (1978)
Paul Schrader’s directorial debut, Blue Collar is a fairly typical spin on his own unique brand of morality tale and catholic tangent, that follows the dire straits of a group of Detroit auto-workers and their plot to embezzle money from the union that has failed them. The film is effectively an ensemble piece, and … Read more
Observe and Report (2009)
Observe and Report, the second feature from apparently “hip” young thing jody hill, came with high praise indeed. i went to see it purely out of the comparisons to the work of paul shrader, but found nothing of any worth in the picture. it was boring, it said nothing and the comedy was appallingly judged. … Read more
Muriel [ou Le temps d'un retour] (1963)
Having always intended to, but never actually doing so, it was my new years resolution of sorts to take an in-depth look at the work of Alain Resnais. Having taken a brief look at what most consider to be his masterpiece just last month (Hiroshima Mon Amour – here), it was with this new release … Read more
The Cineastes – "a brave new endeavour…."
Earlier this month I formed a coalition of sorts with a couple of other blogs. Our intention is outlined by the following manifesto – The Cineastes are a not-quite-so elite international coalition of the cinematically inclined whom convene once a month. Together they hope to assist in the spread of film enthusiasm like a disease, debilitating … Read more
Blood Work (2002)
What follows is the first in a series of occasional in-depth essays- “An accident is fate. Murder is evil.” While it is universally accepted that Clint Eastwood dismantled the Western genre with 1992′s Unforgiven, the way in we he has gradually deconstructed his other trademark genre, the Cop/Detective crime-drama has largely gone unnoticed. In a way it is … Read more
Love on the Run (1979)
The final movement in Francois Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel cycle, Love on the Run is perhaps the most poignant and apt final part to a film series imaginable. The film opens with a strange montage over the credits, accompanied by the famous title theme by Alain Souchon. i haven’t mentioned how great the soundtracks to the … Read more
milk (2009) DVD
sean penn’s oscar winning role in milk served a second viewing last night, and proved to be even more an effective piece of cinema than upon even the first screening suggested. i wasn’t intending to do a second write up, but there were a few moments that were noticeably more effective upon second viewing, so … Read more
