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)
REVIEW: Saddle the Wind (1958)
Retired gunfighter Steve Sinclair (Robert Taylor) is content to spend his time operating a cattle ranch. When his hot-headed younger brother Tony (John Cassavettes) returns home with a new gun and a new fiancee (Julie London), it can only spell … Continue reading REVIEW: Saddle the Wind (1958)
EEFF REVIEW: Kalev (2022)
In the Summer of 1990, the Soviet Union teeters on the edge of collapse. As Estonia approaches independence, Tallinn’s basketball team must decide whether or not the participate in the USSR championship. Ove Musting’s drama Kalev is a smart, well-paced blend … Continue reading EEFF REVIEW: Kalev (2022)
REVIEW: Trace of Breath (2017)
On March 11, 2011, a massive undersea earthquake shook the east coast of Japan, causing tsunami that overwhelmed coastal barriers and decimated the countryside. It was the most powerful earthquake in Japan’s recorded history. In Iwate prefecture the tsunami peaked … Continue reading REVIEW: Trace of Breath (2017)
REVIEW: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
It has been a few months since Wakanda Forever was released, and so here we are again: another season, another “phase”, and another Marvel Studios feature. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the third in Marvel’s Ant-Man series, which to date has been … Continue reading REVIEW: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
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