Before Midnight

 

Linklater delivers an intimate look at love as it matures but also explores ideas of perpetual dissatisfaction and gender.

 

My review of Before Midnight published by Cinetalk.

Network Distribution British Film Collection: Konga and Handgun

Unashamedly marketed as the ‘British King Kong’ and co-written and produced by Herman Cohen, who updated its themes to include not only man’s unquenchable thirst for power over nature but also over women, Konga was one of the very first gigantic monster movies filmed in colour (in SpectaMation and shot in London, including location shooting in Croydon).

 

Full review published by New Empress.

 

 

“There’s no way to explain rape, Larry.”

Handgun (Deep in the Heart) was originally released back in 1984, it stars Karen Young, as a bright eyed woman, living away from home for the first time and discovering all about life and the Texas lifestyle.  British Director Tony Garnett tackles the rape/revenge sub-genre and explores the American Psyche from an outsider perspective. Violent repercussion is not the answer here though with Garnett choosing to use education and clever power play as a means of revenge.

 

Handgun is also showing at BFI on 22nd June 2013

Full review published by Cinetalk.

Review: Mud

 

An exploration of masculinity and love that’s entirely sincere. Jeff Nichols’ third feature exudes epic themes and masterful cinematography with shots of the Arkansas backdrop fused with elements of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn alongside a painterly touch reminiscent of Terrence Malick. It both shines and sweats in its sparse southern setting lingering comfortably in the trepidations and excitable mood of two teenage boys’ journey of discovery.

 

Read my full review here.



Review: Santa Sangre

Psychological, spiritual and physical dismemberment is explored in this surreal, outrageous and excessive piece of cinema. A carnival full of the spirit of Dionysus plays out on screen, intoxicating the senses from the very beginning and leading the protagonist, Fenix, to a clear epiphany.  First brought to the big screen in 1989  Santa Sangre marked Alejandro Jodorowsky’s return to feature filmmaking after a long absence. 

You can read my full review over on Cinetalk

Bloody Brilliant Horror

My partner is not a fan of a lot of the horror films I watch, but on walking into the room half way through this, a smirk appeared and he sat down to watch the rest of the film.

This is small budget, scurrilous satire I highly recommend you adding to your DVD collection.

You can read my review over on Starburst.

Terracotta Distribution recently released Hansel & Gretel on Blu-ray and it looks amazing on this format. A sad and fascinating fantasy story that takes elements from the Brothers Grimm fairy-tale and twists them to ask the question ‘what would happen if the children never got saved’? A continuous carousel like nightmare plays out in the seemingly idyllic setting of a pastel hued house in a deep forest. 

 You can read my review over on Starburst 

 

Another Terracotta DVD release is Desire to Kill  which comes out on 20th August. You can read my review over on Cinetalk

Other horror titles I have reviewed recently are Lovely Molly which I thought  had a lot of potential...You can read my review over on the fabulous Filmoria 

And although it is not what I would classify as bloody brilliant I did enjoy 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as it made me laugh A LOT!

You can read my review over on Starburst

Sheffield Doc Fest: Music and the DIY spirit

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography tells the story of a group of individuals who were cemented together through skateboarding. Stacy Peralta, Director of Dogtown and Z Boys and the much loved The Search for Animal Chin (of which he is a little embarrassed by now) takes us back to the 1980s to tell the story of the formation of the Bones Brigade skate crew.  Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Mike McGill, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain and Tommy Guerrero revolutionised and formed the modern face of competitive skateboarding.  Peralta splices old school footage, photos, and interviews that sum up the true spirit of this crew but he has also produced an excellent account of the history of skateboarding. Rodney Mullen is a rad, passionate genius who is mesmerizing to watch on screen through his skate tricks and speeches. An inspirational story about a passionate and driven group of boys growing up and getting to make a living from doing what they love.


Indie Game: The Movie was always a must watch for me, with my partner being a part of the games industry and some of my friends games developers I was intrigued to see how the filmmakers would portray their subjects. Thankfully the documentary focuses on the personal stories and inspiration for the games leading to a funny and moving depiction. 

Grandma Lo-Fi is the embodiment of a melodic soul.This documentary has been put together very much like a homemade mix tape and it is a lovely tribute to an inspirational woman.










Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day is a four piece Finnish punk band who are making a name for themselves in the scene. All the members have learning difficulties and voice their frustrations through their music and lyrics. Directors Jukka Karkkainen and JP Passi put this band under the spotlight and the outcome is positively positive.  The Punk Syndrome is an uplifting celebration of what it is to be a creative human being.

Searching for Sugar Man charts an investigation born out of a love for music and a man who captured the imaginations of a liberal white population wanting to rebel against their government.

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet honours the mighty axeman who would not stop fighting for his life.












All these films share the DIY and independent spirit that often comes with creativity and each tells a compelling story.
You can read my full coverage here: http://www.cinetalk.tv/tagged/sheffield-doc-fest

Alex Mack, Eerie Indiana and Ethan Hawke

In my quest to envelop myself in 90s nostalgia I recently watched the entire first series of The Secret World of Alex Mack starring Larisa Oleynik from 10 Things I Hate About You. Her attire of oversized checked shirts and jeans pretty much sums up my wardrobe as a kid. It didn't stand up to the test of time, but it had its moments, you can read my review over at Starburst Magazine .

Let's be honest, nothing was going to compare 90s kids show wise considering my love for

Eerie Indiana (more on this soon).

I also watched A Midnight Clear - a film I had never seen before - it's set in 1944 (released in 1992) as the Second World War was coming to an end and follows a squad of US soldiers who have been placed together due to their above average intelligence.

Ethan Hawke stars in an early role, and his performance is full of its usual intensity.

It also features a young cast of Kevin Dillon, Peter Berg, Ayre Gross, Frank Whaley and Gary Sinise - who all shine in their roles.

You can read my review over at Cinetalk



Terracotta Film Festival and Third Window

Himizu closes the Terracotta Film festival, which runs from 12-15th April at the Prince Charles Cinema in London, and I have reviewed over on Starburst Magazine. It is based on bestselling manga by Minoru Furuya and is Sion Sono's reaction to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011. Himizu is released by Third Window from 1st June in the UK.

My Way opens the festival on 12th April and is epic goodness, the wonderful Charlotte Linton  has reviwed it here.

 Monsters Club is also showing at the festival; I saw it last year at TIFF and although it was not what I was expecting it still has some visually original and stunning moments. You can read my thoughts on Cinetalk.

Third Window are also set to release Kotoko this year in the UK and I can only recommend this film. It is absolutely insane, disorientating and mesmerising.

I recently reviewed Adrift in Tokyo (out on DVD now) for the fab Filmoria another one I would recommend.

Full Programme for the festival here.

Tiny Furniture, Lena Dunham and Girls

The female slacker mentality is summed up perfectly by Lena Dunham in her film Tiny Furniture which I urge you all to go and see. It is out in the UK today after a very long wait.

You can read my review over on Cinetalk.

Lena Dunham is a bright young talent who amuses me most days with her exquisite tweets @lenadunham and funny photos.

Her musings on threesomes and the difficulty of putting your tights on in the car are joyful!

Look forward to her new HBO series Girls 

Love, Sex and Death

The 50th anniversary edition of Love on a Pillow (Le Repos du Guerrier) is out now on DVD. 

It is over the top French romance. So obviously I loved it.

You can read my review on Cinetalk

In Darkness is currently out in the UK at cinemas. It is everything all the quotes on the poster claim it to be. I spent ages writing about it because there was so much to say about it. Unfortunately in a moment of stupidity I wiped my laptop and lost my review.

Mairéad Roche has written an in depth review over on Cinemart. You can read it here.

It is a powerful story told with honesty and an artitistic eye.

Themes of humanity are dealt with extremely well and the animalistic urge of humans is portrayed through some exceptionally well crafted sex scenes that remove the need for dialogue in making a statement. Director, Agnieszka Holland, also doesn't shy away from the subject of female masturbation.

A Horrible Way to Die is stand out horror that deserves credit for approaching the genre in a creative way.  You can read my review on Cinetalk.

It is out on DVD now.

21 Jump Street

 

For those of you familiar with my film reviews you will know I have a dislike for Channing Tatum's acting; for examples see The Eagle and Haywire

But he won me over in 21 Jump Street

It's great, go and see it!

You can read my review over on Cinetalk

Some thoughts on comedy

Wanderlust is a new comedy from David Wain starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston. I am a fan of Rudd and his comedy styling and even went so far as to take some time out from the Toronto Film Festival last year to watch Our Idiot Brother as I thought it looked promising and also featured Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks and Recreation) sporting a wonderful pair of glasses. 

It wasn't the greatest film ever, but Rudd and Rashida did some great character acting.

Here is my review of Wanderlust it was pretty funny, but not perfect. 

Project X was not a film made for me, but its target audience will probably enjoy it, although with an 18 certificate in the UK some of its potential audience will be lost. There are no female characters in this film, just objects for boys to lust over. 

You can read my review on Cinetalk.

Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman take the opposite direction from Project X  by making a woman the central role in Young Adult. Another refreshing film from this writer/director duo thanks to strong performances, a sharp screenplay and the ability to push boundaries when it comes to female film roles.

You can read my review on Cinetalk

Also out this week is Hunky Dory, which I saw at the London Film Festival last year, and thoroughly enjoyed. The soundtrack features some excellent 70s tunes. 

I didn't enjoy This Means War, in fact it put me in a bad mood for the most part. I haven't written a review but Jonathan Hatfull sums it up nicely over on Fohnhouse.

Cowboys & Aliens, Tony Todd, some 3D sex and Jim Sturgess

I fell for the Cowboys & Aliens marketing campaign, hook, line and sinker.

The tag line was cool: First Contact. Last Stand.

Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell were in it, the posters looked great, Favreau was directing... and it was a wicked idea for a film that I thought would just be a cool, fun explosion extravaganza.

I was wrong. You can read my review in Starburst Magazine here

It is out in the UK now.

I hadn't heard much about Final Destination 5 before watching it - how much do you need to know really?? I was extremely pleased to see Tony Todd reprising his role as Bludworth and he was as creepy as usual. I liked the first few films of the franchise, and would even go so far as to say I loved the first one.  I thought the film was great fun and it is a horror film I would recommend catching in the cinema as the 3D is pretty special in some of the kill scenes.

It premiered at FrightFest last night and is on general release in the UK today.

You can read my review in Starburst Magazine here.

3D Sex & Zen: Extreme Ecstasy was one of the strangest films I have watched in a while. It started off exactly as I expected, a silly sex film, but then things got DARK and it made me feel a little sick.

It is released in the UK on 2nd September and you can read my review over on the wonderful Cinetalk here

SO... I have been harping on about this film for a long time now and I finally got to see it a couple of weeks ago thanks to the lovely people at Feref. Generally speaking, when it comes to adaptation the film is never as good as the book, so I was prepared for the inevitable tinkering of source material and for some content having to be taken out. It is a very large book. I loved the final outcome, and just from looking at the picture above I really want to go and see it again. Jim Sturgess was pretty perfect in his role and Anne Hathaway...well, you can read my review over on Cinetalk here

What can I say, I love a good romantic film! 

I also had time to watch this little gem on DVD

 that I would suggest watching if you want to be totally creeped out.

You can read my review of Lake Mungo over on Cinetalk here.