Vincent Ward remains one of cinema’s major enigmas—he hasn’t made a film in over ten years. In fact, he’s best known for the film he never made: Alien³. Ward followed initial screenwriter William Gibson in taking on that project, and his plan was structurally similar to what was actually made, but set on a wooden … Continue reading Vigil – Blu-Ray Review
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, No Way Out is a film noir about racism in urban America. Sidney Poitier gives his debut feature performance as Dr. Luther Brooks, a newly qualified young doctor. Two brothers have been shot by the cops while attempting a robbery, and these hoodlums—Ray (Richard Widmark) and Johnny (Dick Paxton)—are caught … Continue reading No Way Out (1950) – Blu-Ray Review
Paul Schrader's film about Yukio Mishima remains perhaps the greatest "biopic" ever made, mainly due to the fact that it disregards most of the conventions of the genre. The only aspect that resembles a typical biopic is that it uses Mishima's last day as a narrative tool to connect the rest of the film. Mishima's … Continue reading Mishima: A Life in Four Chapter – Blu-Ray Review
Smash Palace is an obscure New Zealand drama by director Roger Donaldson, made after his debut feature Sleeping Dogs (which Arrow also released recently) became the first feature on 35mm ever shot in New Zealand. Now New Zealand is a common filming location, but back then it was unknown territory. Donaldson was in the vanguard of … Continue reading Smash Palace – Blu-Ray Review
Midnight Cowboy is one of key films of the late ’60s, and has endured over the years without losing any of its power. It was British director John Schlesinger’s first American film – he had been an important director of the British New Wave in the ’60s with films like Darling and Billy Liar. Schlesinger wanted to make the jump … Continue reading Midnight Cowboy – Blu-Ray Review
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