Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural (1973; dir. Richard Blackburn)
This film bears comparison with the similar Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971; dir. John D. Hancock), but has stylistic parallels with a number of …
16 Feb
The Sender (1982; dir. Roger Christian)
The Sender (1982; dir. Roger Christian)
Somewhere inside this antiseptic and neutered thriller, there’s a full-blooded horror film lurking in the shadows, but helmer Christian, responsible for production design on films …
14 Feb
All This Time (2009; dir. Kris N.)
All This Time (2009; dir. Kris N.)
This unassuming, zero-budgeted feature, made without recourse to emotive editing techniques or complicated special effects sequences, and totally without egotistical pretense, is possibly one of …
04 Feb
Providence (1977; dir. Alain Resnais)
Providence (1977; dir. Alain Resnais)
Released just before commercial cinema began its descent into adolescent sensationalism, Resnais’ masterpiece of meaning, time and truth garnered numerous awards and recognition throughout Europe, …
26 Jan
La dama rossa uccide sette volte (1972; dir. Emilio Miraglia)
La dama rossa uccide sette volte (1972; dir. Emilio Miraglia)
A confused and roughly edited murder mystery, this Italian giallo seems to be a victim of its own devices, unnecessarily cluttering its narrative with badly …
22 Dec
Art as Cinema: a metaphor
Art as Cinema: a metaphor
A metaphor for modern cinema can be formed from analogues in the world of painting. It divides films into three unconnected groups. A very small, select …
18 Nov
Lisa e il diavolo (1974; dir. Mario Bava)
Lisa e il diavolo (1974; dir. Mario Bava)
Cinema is necrophilia. The act of desiring now aged or decayed faces, trapped by the illusion of action that seems to exist in the present …
07 Nov
A Prize of Arms (1962; dir. Cliff Owen)
A Prize of Arms (1962; dir. Cliff Owen)
This tense, nervous film succeeds in creating a threatening, silent world where its main protagonists are watched, suspected and hindered in their attempts to steal …
02 Nov
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (1972; dir. Mario Bava)
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga (1972; dir. Mario Bava)
This is one of Bava’s less personal works but it still manages to convey his understanding of the cinematic spectacle, which informs a number of …
29 Oct
Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric (1989; dir. Nicholas Mallet)
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 …
Tag: abstract