Every Junkie Knows Jujutsu – The Raid
Yes, we know that the martial art at the heart of Gareth Evans’ The Raid is not jujutsu, but “every junkie knows Pencak Silat” just didn’t have the same ring to it, so please excuse the indulgence. You’ve probably heard about The Raid. We joked in our preview of the Bradford Film Festival that it was … Read more
Frustratingly Conflicted – Dark Shadows
Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote in his now infamous essay “In Defence Of Spoilers” that to judge a film primarily by its narrative is to ignore the importance of style and tone to the cinema. It’s interesting to note just how many of the critical reviews of Dark Shadows to date have been concerned with the (or … Read more
Where Next For Earth’s Mightiest Avengers?
While this article is at heart pure and simple speculation, a couple of plot points from The Avengers do crop up, most notably one major plot point and one big reveal. If you don’t want anything spoiling then hold back on this until you’ve seen the film. So yes, spoilers for The Avengers!
Marvel’s The Avengers – The Hope Lies Review
There’s an appropriate moment in the current issue of The Avengers comic-book (vol. 4 #25) in which an optimistic Thor tells a crestfallen Captain America that he is always at his best when he “bucks the system”. This throwaway frame in an unrelated book sums up Marvels unorthodox path to the big screen perfectly. While … Read more
Those Pesky Kids – The Cabin In The Woods
Reviewing The Cabin In The Woods at this point seems a little moot: In short it’s a fantastic slice of mainstream American cinema. Go and see it. It’s as deliciously subversive and brilliant as you’ve no doubt heard. It’s the best thing that Joss Whedon’s inexplicably overrated name has ever been attached to, and genuinely … Read more
Peter Berg’s Battleship And The Board-game As Source Matter
Peter Berg’s Battleship has been little more than the butt of a joke since it’s green light was announced around 18 months ago. The collective groan of the internet could be heard for digi-miles and digi-miles, as commentators up and down the land wailed on about a Hollywood bereft of ideas, resorting to adapting the … Read more
A Few Thoughts On Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters
We’ve been sitting on reviewing Morten Tyldum’s adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s Headhunters for over a week now, and seem unable to bring ourselves to actually do so. Alas, it’s not because the film is particularly bad or anything, it’s just all a bit average and unexciting really. Slight mocking coupled with semi-admiring woes of disbelief at … Read more
This Is Not A Film Review
In July 2009 the Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was arrested and later convicted of “assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic”. As punishment he was jailed for 6 years and banned from making films for 20. Last year, alongside fellow filmmaker Mojtaba … Read more
Crucified Youth – Corpo Celeste
Corpo Celeste marks director Alice Rohrwacher’s debut in the realm of narrative. Something of a formidable documentarian, the Italian filmmaker carries many of the traits of the vérité over with her to the staged movie. An inward journey of personal discovery unfolds against a backdrop of sibling rivalry and ecclesiastical evaluation, in a work that recalls … Read more
The Pirates! In An Exercise Of Inadequacy!
Before we start, and in the interests of complete disclosure, let’s get one thing out of the way. We’ve never been a fan of the work of Aardman Animations. Sure, we can appreciate the craftsmanship and whatnot, but it just isn’t really my thing. That being said we did have great expectations for their latest … Read more
