As a film enthusiast, I have been remarkably remiss in watching the works of Val Lewton. In the 1940s this film producer and writer supervised a string of cheaply-made B-movies for RKO Pictures. These were films that punched well above … Continue reading REVIEW: The Leopard Man (1943)
We need to talk about Bill Paxton. He was a regular fixture of 1980s and 1990s cinema, more often than not playing a supporting role, more often than not in some genre-based action film or sci-fi thriller. He was widely … Continue reading REVIEW: Frailty (2001)
Tom Clancy was a hugely successful author, combining military action and political intrigue in a long series of novels – mostly featuring protagonist Jack Ryan. Their popularity naturally led to Hollywood knocking on Clancy’s door; the first result was John … Continue reading REVIEW: Clear and Present Danger (1994)
When mid-level drug boss Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) is captured by mainland Chinese police – led by the stoic Captain Zhang (Sun Honglei) – he turns traitor on his underground empire, leading the cops into a complicated sting operation to shut … Continue reading REVIEW: Drug War (2013)
Denis Villeneuve received a lot of attention for his science fiction films Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, and anticipation for his upcoming adaptation of Dune is at a fever-pitch. It’s his 2013 thriller Prisoners, however, which best showcases his strong directorial talent. Without the benefit of those other … Continue reading REVIEW: Prisoners (2013)
I have long been quite a fan of the Pang brothers, Danny and Oxide, whose inventive low-budget films like Re-cycle, Bangkok Dangerous and The Eye have impressed me with their imagination, pacing and energy. In recent years their output has gradually becoming more expensive … Continue reading REVIEW: Out of Inferno (2013)
For almost twenty years South Korean cinema has been on a prolonged run of bleak, emotionally challenging thrillers about wounded middle-aged men seeking revenge or hiding secrets – often both. Many have seen commercial success, some internationally, but they have … Continue reading REVIEW: Seven Years of Night (2018)
On a flight from Tokyo to Paris, one first-class passenger surreptitiously drugs the water of another. When that drugged business executive begins to pass out at the airport, she is picked up by two men who throw her into the … Continue reading REVIEW: Demonlover (2002)
In 1979 Paris, Anne (Vanessa Paradis) runs an independent film studio making gay pornography. When a masked assailant begins stalking the city’s gay community, violently murdering Anne’s actors one by one, she is drawn into tracking the killer down before … Continue reading REVIEW: Knife + Heart (2018)
After making a suicide attempt, Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) – whose husband (Channing Tatum) has just returned home from a four-year prison term – falls under the care of psychiatrist Jon Banks (Jude Law). Banks prescribes a new type of … Continue reading REVIEW: Side Effects (2013)
