The work of famous racist, H.P. Lovecraft, is no stranger to the big screen. This is in spite of the fact that much of his work deals with the unexplainable and the inexplicable: people harrassed by things that defy description and understanding. These ideas may be hard to put on screen but that difficulty has … Continue reading Color Out of Space (Review)
Tag: cinema
The Invisible Man (2020) (Review)
The opening act of Blumhouse's Invisible Man reboot is excellent. It begins with a brilliant credits sequence and segues into a nail-bitingly tense escape scene in a clifftop house (an architectural marvel that lends an austere beauty to the film). For a third of the running time, the film's identity is very clear: it is … Continue reading The Invisible Man (2020) (Review)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Review)
I once visited a Jeff Koons exhibition in which reflective spheres had been placed in pieces of art - often classical art. The spheres reflected the art back at itself but also made it so that you could not look at the art without looking at yourself and your surroundings. It was an effective, if … Continue reading Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Review)
My Neighbour Totoro (Ghibli: The Netflix Batch)
With Netflix (in most territories) adding the entire Ghibli back catalogue (minus Grave of the Fireflies) over the next three months, it’s the perfect time to either revisit or visit the collection. If revisiting, why not write about them? Great idea. Welcome to ‘Ghibli: The Netflix Batch,’ a collection of essays inspired by each film. … Continue reading My Neighbour Totoro (Ghibli: The Netflix Batch)
First Love (Review)
Takashi Miike has made some of the most bizarre films of all time. Most famous for his frenetic, violent - and often surreal - Yakuza movies, First Love sees him perhaps returning to his first love: the aforementioned genre. From any other director, First Love is a really promising and super stylish action film full … Continue reading First Love (Review)
Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Ghibli: The Netflix Batch)
With Netflix (in most territories) adding the entire Ghibli back catalogue (minus Grave of the Fireflies) over the next three months, it's the perfect time to either revisit or visit the collection. If revisiting, why not write about them? Great idea. Welcome to 'Ghibli: The Netflix Batch,' a collection of essays inspired by each film. … Continue reading Laputa: Castle in the Sky (Ghibli: The Netflix Batch)
Gillespie Awards 2020 (My ‘Oscars’)
For some reason, the Academy won't let me have any control - never mind complete control - over their process. Perhaps because of this, they keep making terrible decisions! So, here are my awards. Criteria: released in the last 12 months in the UK and seen by me. If it's not nominated and I haven't … Continue reading Gillespie Awards 2020 (My ‘Oscars’)
The Lighthouse (Review)
There are moments of undeniable brilliance in Dave Eggers' second feature. The atmosphere is consistently superb and the performances are outstanding. In addition to this, it's a film of obvious technical brilliance - a brilliance that is complemented by a clear sense of style. However, the Lighthouse does also feel like a purely stylistic exercise. … Continue reading The Lighthouse (Review)
The Personal History of David Copperfield (Review)
Unsurprisingly, the writer and director who managed to glean comedy from Stalinist Russia has managed to make an accessible and charming comedy out of a Dickens novel. Obviously, anybody versed in Dickens will know that comedy is actually something the famed writer is good at; however, it is not his primary mode and it is … Continue reading The Personal History of David Copperfield (Review)
For Sama (Review)
For several years, it has been hard to escape news about the turmoil in Syria. This being the case, exposure has been very surface level and tinged with prejudice - glossed over by disgusting vitriol towards necessary migration. For Sama is a document of the 'Battle of Aleppo' - which roughly spans 2012-2016 - from … Continue reading For Sama (Review)
Assorted Opinions 