Our now classic short film, The Hunter and the Hunted, is back online: you can watch it on Vimeo or North East Movies. Here it is above for you viewing pleasure. Also we’re pleased to announce a new feature length film in pre-production. Scenes from … Read More →
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric (1989; dir. Nicholas Mallet)
Supposedly Doctor Who is the UK’s longest running science fiction programme, but in reality its forty-odd-year run can be split into two separate and nearly contradictory versions: the original 1963-89 series and the re-envisaged, watered-down version that has been a flagship show for the BBC … Read More →
Terrore nello spazio (1965; dir. Mario Bava)
Contrary to popular belief, independent, commercial-minded cinema can be a fertile ground for intelligent, probing filmmakers, and chief amongst them is Italian helmer Bava. Although his output was comparatively broad – totaling nearly 23 single-credit films before his death in 1980 – his legacy of … Read More →
Ghostwatch (1992; dir. Lesley Manning)
A drama posing as a documentary, Ghostwatch borrows heavily from The Stone Tape (1972; dir. Peter Sasdy) and the true story of the Enfield Poltergeist. Despite unnecessary simplification, the story – which sees a broken home at the mercy of a sinister, perhaps imaginary spirit … Read More →
Race with the Devil (1975; dir. Jack Starrett)
As previously noted on this blog (here), genre is an excuse for poor film theory, and Race with the Devil exemplifies the mindset of producers and writers who approach films with a ‘shopping list ‘of elements – garnered from the comparison of unrelated materials, and … Read More →
Get ready to engage ‘yoofs’ in the media
On Thursday 29th October, Northern Film and Media are running a one day conference – entitled New Directions – for anyone searching for inspiration on how to engage young people in the media. We’ve only recently posted on this subject – read our thoughts here … Read More →
Il profumo della signora in nero (1974; dir. Francesco Barilli)
Genre is an unfortunate and regrettable aspect of film theory, resulting in the pigeonholing of films by what they should contain rather than what they uniquely offer. Along with a misguided respect for narrative, genre dominates much film criticism and eduction, resulting in ugly and … Read More →
The Changes (1975; dir. John Prowse)
Like the similarly themed Survivors (1975-77) or Doomwatch (1970-72), this BBC children’s series offers a world where science and technology hold a threatening power over the ‘innocent masses’ and a return to the Dark Ages can’t come soon enough. Unlike those programmes, this show has … Read More →
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982; dir. Tommy Lee Wallace)
The works of Manx author and screenwriter Nigel Kneale have long needed a critical reappraisal. The current view – one which sees him as “the grandfather of British science fiction” – is complimentary at best, totally misguided on further inspection. This majority opinion, endorsed by … Read More →
Stalker (1979; dir. Andrei Tarkovsky)
Our recent reviews of films based on works by the Strugatsky Brothers – read the others here and here – come to an end with this adaptation by themselves and Soviet art-house favorite Tarkovsky. This was the only adaptation that they openly approved of and, … Read More →
Back online!
After a brief hiatus involving a home move and an internet service provider, we are now back online ready to post more reviews and observations on the Brett Gerry Films website. Hopefully we’ll have some news concerning our films soon too… If you’ve been trying … Read More →
Never mind the racism, here’s the bollocks!
Last night Channel 4 broadcast The Event: How Racist Are You?, which replicated an exercise into racial awareness and discrimination by ex-schoolteacher Jane Elliott. Regardless of your opinion concerning Elliott’s techniques – and they are nothing if not controversial – the unfortunate truth remains that … Read More →