REVIEW: My Darling Clementine (1946)
There is always a distinct challenge in reviewing classic cinema: titles that were widely and enthusiastically feted literally decades before half of us were born. What, after so long, is there for anyone to write or say? The late John … Continue reading REVIEW: My Darling Clementine (1946)
REVIEW: Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
Widely derided by critics and fans of the original film, Blues Brothers 2000 has spent almost a quarter-century being a poster child for ill-advised and unwanted sequels. It is well overdue that someone questions why. Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) is released from … Continue reading REVIEW: Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
REVIEW: Shiva Baby (2020)
Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, originally released in 2020, may be the most uncomfortable film that I have ever utterly enjoyed. It is nominally a comedy, but while it does contains plenty that is funny – sometimes gloriously so – it also … Continue reading REVIEW: Shiva Baby (2020)
REVIEW: The Princess (2022)
The Princess, which recently premiered on Hulu and Disney+, seems both a simple and strange movie. Simple because it is one of the most propulsive and direct action films of the year so far. Strange because its non-stop violent action … Continue reading REVIEW: The Princess (2022)
REVIEW: Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
Let us talk briefly about bathos. Most people are generally familiar with its homonym pathos, which is an act of persuading an audience via an appeal to their emotions. It describes the technique of most drama, with an artist deliberately choosing … Continue reading REVIEW: Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
REVIEW: A Time to Kill (1996)
Note: the last two paragraphs of this review spoil the ending of the film. Caveat emptor. John Grisham’s 1989 novel A Time to Kill was rejected by major American publishers, ultimately getting a 5000-copy print run from Wynwood Press. When his second … Continue reading REVIEW: A Time to Kill (1996)
REVIEW: Riding the Breeze (2014)
A Japanese journalist makes a bicycle journey down the Taiwanese coast in Riding the Breeze, a pleasant, charming, but fairly derivative road movie. Produced in 2014, the film was never going to win awards or significant acclaim, but if these … Continue reading REVIEW: Riding the Breeze (2014)
REVIEW: Judy (2019)
There are essentially two methods to plotting a biographical picture. The first, and most popular, is a ‘whole of career’ approach: the film tracks the life and development of its protagonist over a period of years, or even decades. The … Continue reading REVIEW: Judy (2019)
REVIEW: Hands of the Ripper (1971)
There is a generally held convention that Hammer, the famous British production house behind a string of gothic horror movies, peaked in the 1950s and 1960s before declining in the 1970s. While this is certainly true of the company’s commercial … Continue reading REVIEW: Hands of the Ripper (1971)
REVIEW: Pound of Flesh (2015)
Ernie Barbarash’s 2015 action film Pound of Flesh is a fascinating artefact. It is not due to its screenplay or production values, which are poor, nor is it due to its star Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film is set in Manila, yet … Continue reading REVIEW: Pound of Flesh (2015)
FictionMachine 