This is an abysmally contrived film, attempting to trade not only on its populist comic book origins but also the trendy compliment of its cast, many of whom are familiar from the tedious North American indie scene. The result is a botched job, unsuitably pitched … Read More →
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Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971; dir. John D. Hancock)
This may be one of cinema’s finest ghost stories, and reminds us that folkloric myths like vampirism (which is suggested tentatively here) come from a different wellspring, and therefore demand better treatment, than the manner in which they are popularised by Hollywood and its imitators. … Read More →
Inception (2010; dir. Christopher Nolan)
This is an over-hyped, fatuous film that fails to live up to the estimation of a number of critics and commentators, who have lauded the film with platitudes that it barely supports. Helmer Nolan, whose work consistently riffs on Heat (1995; dir. Michael Mann), has … Read More →
Does fear of reprisal make critics less critical?
The over-hyped release of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010; dir. David Slade) not only underlines the unbalanced emphasis given to throwaway and adolescent material, but also the innate fear of modern critics and theorists to actually criticise any high-profile, mainstream films or television programmes – … Read More →
Violence on screen equals complacency on the page…
The recent furore over The Killer Inside Me (2010; dir. Michael Winterbottom), which centres around its graphic depiction of violence against women, has totally failed to pinpoint the cause of that film’s failure, with many theorists and commentators misdirecting their efforts onto spurious, tabloid-baiting claims: … Read More →
The Last Movie (1971; dir. Dennis Hopper)
With the recent death of actor-director Dennis Hopper, some critics and obituarists have dimly remembered that, between his breakthrough success with Easy Rider (1969) and personality-defining roles in Blue Velvet (1986; dir. David Lynch) or Speed (1994; dir. Jan de Bont), he helmed this sprawling … Read More →
The Kremlin Letter (1970; dir. John Houston)
Jean Pierre Melville saw this “magisterial” effort as establishing the standard for cinema, and it’s easy to see why: Houston here encapsulates his cruel vision of the world into a simple, almost unpalatable nugget that stares you in the face as it hits you in … Read More →
I Know Who Killed Me (2007; dir. Chris Siverston)
This the film that won a record eight awards at the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards – the film awards ceremony that recognises failure and not success, which in North American terms amounts to box office takings rather than artistic or technical ideals – so it … Read More →
Sphinx (1981; dir. Franklin J. Schaffner)
This is a totally redundant and insipid thriller, perhaps, as well as wasting the talent of everyone involved, revealing the mercenary nature of many mainstream producers and directors. Schaffner shows very little interest in anything here, failing to evoke suspense, menace or interest in screenwriter … Read More →
Terminator Salvation (2009; dir. McG)
This is the fourth in a series of high-budget, low-expectation films begun by The Terminator (1984; dir. James Cameron). Helmer McG and his creative team show themselves capable of exploiting the cinematic spectacle for a few powerful sequences – a battle along a desert highway … Read More →
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 European films in the horror genre at the time, notably Les lèvres rouges (1971; dir. Harry Kümel) and Operazione paura (1966; … Read More →
Currently Untitled (2010; dir. Adam Cooley)
The work of zero-budget auteur Adam Cooley is a provocative reminder that the career trajectory of a filmmaker should not necessarily conform to that envisaged by the majority of aspiring media professionals – and, likewise, the psychedelic potpourri of actor-director-editor Cooley’s lo-fi visions, rendered with … Read More →