When Jaws was an unprecedented commercial success in 1975, it inspired every enterprising independent producer to make their own version to profit from the original’s success. I recently watched Michael Anderson’s 1977 film Orca, likely the most successful and well-remembered of these derivative … Continue reading REVIEW: Tentacles (1977)
Released in Italy for last Christmas, and now available internationally on Netflix, 7 Women and a Murder is an odd little remake of François Ozon’s 8 Femmes (2002), itself an adaptation of a Robert Thomas play. It seems odd for two reasons: firstly, … Continue reading REVIEW: 7 Women and a Murder (2021)
‘There’s more dignity in being rejected by someone out of my league,’ says Marta (Ludovica Francesconi), a bright young Italian woman desperate for romance but struggling with worsening cystic fibrosis. Standard treatments are failing her, and she is gradually coming … Continue reading REVIEW: Out of My League (2020)
In the end, it is all about the penguins – but we can get to that in due course. Raggio di Sole – released in the UK as Sunbeam – is a 1912 Italian short film. It is a silent film of course, … Continue reading REVIEW: Raggio di Sole (1912)
Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel The Adventures of Pinocchio is one of the world’s most famous and best-selling works of children’s literature, and as such has long been a source for film and television adaptation. Walt Disney’s 1940 animated adaptation dominates, of course, … Continue reading REVIEW: The Adventures of Pinocchio (1972)
A mysterious signal leads two exploratory space vehicles to the fog-covered planet of Aura. While attempting to land one ship crashes with the loss of all hands, while the crew of the other start attacking one another while under some … Continue reading REVIEW: Planet of the Vampires (1965)
On 19 July this year, the Dutch actor Rutger Hauer died. He had been one of my favourite actors for much of my life, ever since being entranced by his performance as the runaway fugitive Roy Batty in Ridley Scott’s … Continue reading REVIEW: The Legend of the Holy Drinker (1988)
The monk William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) and his novice Adso (Christian Slater) arrive at a Benedictine abbey in northern Italy to join a Papal debate on the poverty of Christ. He instead finds himself pushed into investigating an apparent … Continue reading REVIEW: The Name of the Rose (1986)
A queen eats the heart of a sea monster in order to magically bear a child. A vain king’s attempts to seduce a beautiful young woman are manipulated by a pair of elderly sisters. A father’s obsession with an enormous … Continue reading REVIEW: Tale of Tales (2015)
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