The Life of Oharu is directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, who is considered by many to be the greatest director to ever come out of Japan. He was favoured by French critics at Cahiers du Cinéma over those who, like Akira Kurosawa, were considered too Western, as they saw Mizoguchi as more culturally “Japanese.” Schlock maestro Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Entertainment has said repeatedly that he considers Princess … Continue reading The Life of Oharu – Blu-Ray Review
Hard Times is a gritty look at the Depression era of bare-knuckle boxing in New Orleans. Charles Bronson turns in perhaps his finest performance this side of Once Upon a Time in the West playing Chaney, who is a train-hopping drifter. Chaney is approached by the two-bit hustler Speed, played by James Coburn, and they are soon … Continue reading Hard Times – Blu-Ray Review
Psycho Cop Returns is a real surprise: on paper, it sounds like a low-budget rip-off of Maniac Cop, which was a big hit in 1988. It is indeed a sequel to Psycho Cop, which was rushed onto video after the success of Maniac Cop. I've never seen the first Psycho Cop, but besides featuring Robert R. Shafer as the title character, this … Continue reading Psycho Cop Returns – Blu-Ray Review
The film Mephisto Waltz comes from the same 1970s era as Rosemary’s Baby, which had been a big success. It’s one of several films from that time that deals with the occult and specifically Satanism. It stars a pre-M.A.S.H. Alan Alda as Miles, a music journalist who goes to interview Duncan Ely, supposedly the world’s … Continue reading The Mephisto Waltz – Blu-Ray Review
Lady From Shanghai was Orson Welles’s fourth feature, and basically ended his Hollywood career (although of course he would do Touch of Evil seven years later). Following this production, he fled to Europe and lived there for most of his life. Lady From Shanghai is one of Welles best films, but also deeply flawed: a twisty … Continue reading The Lady From Shanghai – Blu-Ray Review
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