Ben Wheatley's career continues to be fascinating. Dark, independent features like Kill List and A Field In England (and Sightseers) led him to adapting J.G Ballard's High-Rise, and - now equipped with more resources than ever - he followed that up with a low-key, single location shoot-out film with a star-studded cast (the wonderful Free … Continue reading In the Earth (Review)
Cruella (Review)
Though a step up from the atrocious Mulan, Cruella is another poor live-action outing from Disney. This time, they've taken a slight step towards originality, moving away from adapting their animations and instead making prequels to them. An interesting choice, especially when the films never needed prequels in the first place. Rather than letting Cruella … Continue reading Cruella (Review)
Mortal Kombat (2021) (Review)
It would not be a cynical reboot if Mortal Kombat didn't spend the whole film setting up a much more interesting sequel. This frustrating trend reaches perhaps its zenith in this non-movie that could exist as the opening act of a more interesting film, or could be ditched completely. We spend an hour and thirty-nine … Continue reading Mortal Kombat (2021) (Review)
The STACK Awards 2021 (Part 2 of 2)
Jack Davenport and I are back for part two, find the full context here and watch the second part of our film awards here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv3DOWDLxWE&t=1912s
Have You Seen… Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)?
Terayama's iconoclastic classic is full of unfiltered madness and moments of political cogency. The main political push is in the title, and it is something that carries throughout the film: throw off apathy and disillusionment and take action. It's deeper than this though, it is about throwing out traditional forms of art so that we … Continue reading Have You Seen… Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)?
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Review)
The best animated films take advantage of the medium, speaking in ways live action films cannot. Mitchells vs. the Machines is one of these films, a consistently hilarious feature about a relatably dysfunctional family of four (plus a dog) going on a road trip and... Trying to stop the the robot apocalypse. You know, everyday … Continue reading The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Review)
The STACK Awards 2021 (Part 1 of 2)
On this blog, I've previously done my own version of the Oscars in text form - just to show how strange that ceremony would be if they let me have control (more horror movies and arthouse fare). This year, I collaborated with the talented music producer, audio engineer, composer, sound designer, visual artist (self described … Continue reading The STACK Awards 2021 (Part 1 of 2)
Things Heard and Seen (Review)
Sometimes, you have to give a film credit for trying. And, you know what, Things Heard and Seen (another disposable Netflix film that has gained attention purely to a couple of notable stars) certainly tries. It tries to touch on wider themes: transcendental and theological horror (hinting at Blakean and more widely Romanticist concepts); cycles … Continue reading Things Heard and Seen (Review)
Quo vadis, Aida? (Review)
Films about horrific historical events are difficult. The question of what not to show versus what you must show is always a hard one - and the want to present, and comment, without glorifying is always challenging. Quo vadis, Aida? focuses on the Bosnian genocide of 1995. It takes place during the events leading up … Continue reading Quo vadis, Aida? (Review)
The Labyrinth of Cinema (Review)
Nobody makes films like Nobuhiko Ôbayashi does, and with his tragic death in 2020, we are never going to have films like them again. Luckily, we have Labyrinth of Cinema; after giving us a final filmic statement in 2017 with the wonderful Hanagatami, Ôbayashi lived long enough to make one more final film. This film … Continue reading The Labyrinth of Cinema (Review)
Assorted Opinions 