Review: Gothic
Blu-ray: Gothic (1986)I’ve never taken drugs in my life (except for those prescribed by a Doctor of course) but inevitably come away from watching a Ken Russell movie feeling as though I was experiencing the after effects of snacking on some hallucinogens while watching it…quite apt really when it comes to the narrative of this tale. This […]
Review: Calvaire
Digital: Calvaire (2004)Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) is a travelling singer who drives across Belgium in his van. After finishing a gig at a nursing home (where he’s hit on by women far older than him) he makes a hasty retreat onto the road once again, but unfortunately breaks down in the middle of nowhere. He is helped […]
Review: Crimes of the Future
Blu-ray: Crimes of the Future (2022)The only other person I know who’s seen Crimes of the Future, hated it. It “just wasn’t like old Cronenberg”. I disagree, this is quintessential body-horror Cronenberg, that apart from it’s a hi-def film, could whisk you right back to ExisTenz or Dead Ringers.Where to start with the narrative though? Its […]
Review: Gregory’s Girl 4K UHD
4K UHD Blu-ray: Gregory’s Girl (1980)Newly restored from the original camera negative, this 4K UHD release by the BFI makes this coming-of-age classic comedy of Scottish cinema look better than its ever done and belies the fact that it is now over 40 years old.Eschewing the usual movie view that teenagers school days were a […]
Review: Following
Blu-ray: Following (1998)Released on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time, number 30 in 101 Films ‘Black Label’ series of releases presents Christopher Nolan’s debut feature film ‘Following’.A zero budget project shot for one day a week over the course of a year, Nolan has already established his penchant for delivering a narrative in […]
Review: Another Day to Live Through
Playing out within a non-linear narrative, this slow burn of a movie plays with your preconceptions and expectations, before metaphorically hitting you across the back of the head with a large object and making you reassess what may (or may not) happen next.Satu (Lene Kqiku) is hiking alone and becomes lost, then crosses paths with […]
Review: ZX Nightmares
A book that celebrates the worst of the worst most hellish games ever released on the ZX Spectrum sounds like my idea of heaven and having just read the final page of the excellent ZX Nightmares by Graeme Mason, I felt compelled to write my own review, so here it is.ZX Nightmares first caught my […]
Review: Taito Milestones 2
Last year I reviewed Taito Milestones. Looking back at my review, whilst I appreciated having the opportunity to play some fairly obscure Taito games, overall, it was difficult to recommend a package where there were only a couple of standout titles and everything else was average. I was also critical of the lack of presentation […]
Review: Blood and Black Lace Limited Edition UHD
4K UHD Blu-ray: Blood and Black Lace (1964)‘Giallo’ means Yellow in Italian. This became the label for Italian detective thrillers as the early paperback thriller novels were adorned with yellow covers…so now you know.Mario Bava is the undoubted Godfather of Giallo. Giving fresh life to the horror genre in a way that was to be […]
Review: The Psycho Collection Limited Edition 4K UHD
Psycho, one of the most famous films of modern times, what can you say about it that hasn’t already been said a million times? Well actually, nothing, because the 4K check discs we were sent to review didn’t include this film as Arrow were only responsible for the 4K restorations of Psycho II, Psycho III […]