REVIEW: The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
On its final voyage across the ocean before it is decommissioned, the luxury liner Poseidon is struck by a tsunami that capsizes the vessel. With much of the crew and passengers dead, a small group of survivors led by firebrand … Continue reading REVIEW: The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
REVIEW: My Identity (2019)
The complicated links between Japan and Taiwan – a Japanese territory from 1895 to 1945 – seem a popular subject matter for contemporary Japanese cinema. In recent times the issues of anti-Taiwanese racism, the migrant experience, and shared cultural experience … Continue reading REVIEW: My Identity (2019)
REVIEW: The Indian Fighter (1955)
In the aftermath of the American Civil War, former soldier Johnny Hawk (Kirk Douglas) – a man famed for fighting Native Americans – is hired to escort a wagon train across Oregon. His mission runs foul of a local Sioux … Continue reading REVIEW: The Indian Fighter (1955)
REVIEW: Empire of Light (2022)
I have emerged from Sam Mendes’ new drama Empire of Light more than a little ambivalent about it; indeed, I find myself tremendously frustrated. This English drama, set in a seaside down in the early 1980s, stars Olivia Colman as a miserable … Continue reading REVIEW: Empire of Light (2022)
REVIEW: Tora-San, Wish You Were Here (2019)
In 1969, director Yoji Yamada helmed It’s Tough Being a Man, a domestic comedy that became an unexpected hit in Japanese cinemas – so much so that by the end of the year Yamada had already made its sequel. The film … Continue reading REVIEW: Tora-San, Wish You Were Here (2019)
REVIEW: Something in the Dirt (2022)
I have always rather liked the Hollywood term ‘multi-hyphenate’. Usually used by journalists for Variety or the Hollywood Reporter, it refers to those particularly talented types who undertake more than two roles in a film production. Not just an actor-director, or … Continue reading REVIEW: Something in the Dirt (2022)
Favourites of the 1990s: #300-276
Back in 2019, I marked the end of the decade with a huge countdown of my favourite films of the 2010s; Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone was my top pick. I figured it was about time to run another massive countdown of my … Continue reading Favourites of the 1990s: #300-276
EEFF REVIEW: The Odd-Job Men (2021)
On the outskirts of Barcelona, a home repair business is going through a period of change. For Valero (Valero Escobar), it means saying goodbye to his long-term partner Pep (Pep Sarrà) who is retiring. At the same time it means … Continue reading EEFF REVIEW: The Odd-Job Men (2021)
REVIEW: Suburban Birds (2018)
Qiu Sheng’s debut feature Suburban Birds is a low-key but fascinating work. At first it appears to fall in line as yet another naturalistic urban character drama; the kind that tends to be liberally scattered over international film festivals each year. As … Continue reading REVIEW: Suburban Birds (2018)
REVIEW: Gamera vs Zigra (1971)
Over the course of the Gamera film series, the individual films continued to make a profit while the studio that made them, Daiei Film, sank closer and closer towards bankruptcy. It was shortly after the completion of this seventh Gamera that Daiei’s finances finally … Continue reading REVIEW: Gamera vs Zigra (1971)
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