The new ASMR based short film from Peter Strickland is exactly what you would expect. Exactly what you would expect in that it is almost indescribably strange and uniquely compelling - as all things Strickland are. With films like The Duke of Burgundy and In Fabric, Strickland has established himself as one of the most … Continue reading Cold Meridian (Review)
Category: Films
Alex Wheatle (Small Axe) (Review)
There is a scene towards the end of Alex Wheatle in which spoken-word is placed over archive photographs. The combination of poetic words, rhythmic phrasing and captured reality is striking. It is easily the most powerful moment of this short film: showcasing how history looked while contextualising it with an authentic voice, making it hit … Continue reading Alex Wheatle (Small Axe) (Review)
NastyPALs 27: Flesh for Frankenstein
A classic for a reason? Maybe. https://soundcloud.com/user-782108692/27-flesh-for-frankenstein
Mank (Review)
David Fincher's Mank is yet another example of Netflix clearly letting a filmmaker make the exact film that they wanted. There is an entertaining irony here, seeing as Mank chronicles the writing of - and inspiration for (in two discrete timelines) - Citizen Kane, focusing on conflicts between filmmakers and executives who all want to … Continue reading Mank (Review)
Crash (1996) (Reissue Review)
Cronenberg's notorious adaptation of J.G Ballard's equally notorious novel has been shocking and delighting audiences in equal measure for over twenty-five years. This extreme, transgressive - yet unnervingly existential - drama confronts the viewer with a journey into apparent depravity as it explores ever blurring lines between sex, death and destruction. It is a chaotic … Continue reading Crash (1996) (Reissue Review)
Red, White and Blue (Small Axe) (Review)
The true story of Leroy Logan is the inspiration for the third instalment of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series. This exhibits the masterful visual storytelling you would expect, and deftly deals with powerful and pertinent themes. Though primarily about a young Black man, Leroy (John Boyega), joining the police force with the aim of combatting … Continue reading Red, White and Blue (Small Axe) (Review)
Nimic (Review)
Legendarily odd filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite, The Lobster and Dogtooth) delivers a characteristically bizarre short. Feeling like a direct descendant of Possession, this atonal and abstract tale of doppelgängers and replacement is a twisted delight. Matt Dillon (one of the very few good things about The House that Jack Built) stars as a passive … Continue reading Nimic (Review)
Lovers Rock (Small Axe) (Review)
The second instalment of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe is a masterclass in visual storytelling. McQueen and his crew take us to a house party in the early 80s, showing us the setup and the narrative of night, while also interweaving a love story. There is very little dialogue here, and what does exist is natural … Continue reading Lovers Rock (Small Axe) (Review)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Review)
Aaron Sorkin's drama about a landmark court case that revolves around issues of police violence, corruption of the legal system and racism begins with a getting the gang together style montage. The pre-credits sequence is edited to playful music that evokes a caper or adventure. The key figures of the trial are introduced here, sort … Continue reading The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Review)
To the Ends of the Earth (Review)
Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is the master of the uncanny. This is most evident in his J-horror staples - and cult classics - Pulse and Cure, but carries into wider work that takes place in filmic worlds that are always slightly uncomfortable, sometimes in a way that's hard to articulate - in a way you just … Continue reading To the Ends of the Earth (Review)
Assorted Opinions 