Category: Reviews

Irezumi, which is Japanese for tattoo, is based on a story by Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, one of the premiere Japanese authors of the first half of the 20th century. Although it was his first story to gain attention, Jun'ichiro’s best known work is Sasameyuki better known as The Makioka Sisters in the West and also adapted into a film. Yasuzō Masumura directed Irezumi. Masumura is one of the less well-known directors working in Japanese cinema in the 'late '50s … Continue reading Irezumi – Blu-Ray Review →

But I'm a Cheerleader is most certainly a cult classic in 2021, but it faced a relatively hostile reception when it came out in 1999. Unsurprisingly, it had some fans in the gay media, but outside of Roger Ebert and a few other critics it was generally dismissed as a "John Waters knock-off". The film … Continue reading But I’m a Cheerleader – Blu-Ray Review →

The Hands of Orlac was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. Directed in 1924 by Robert Wiene, who most famously directed The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and reunites him with actor Conrad Viedt. It’s based on a novel by Maurice Renard, but it’s not half as good as Caligari. Wiene tones down the … Continue reading The Hands of Orlac – Blu-Ray Review →

We Children from Bahnhof Zoo is perhaps the strangest reimagining I've ever seen. It's "based on" the life of Christiane Vera Felscherinow, better known as Christiane F., who conducted a series of interviews with two journalists who were ghostwriters of the memoir Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo. It was adapted into a fantastic 1981 film Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo by director Uli Edel, which was made soon enough after the events that … Continue reading We Children from Bahnhof Zoo – DVD Review →

Merrily We Go to Hell is the second feature from pioneering director Dorothy Arzner to come out from Criterion in the past year. Arzner was the only woman who directed films during the heyday of classic Hollywood, with Ida Lupino finally directing a film in 1949. She started out in the silent era, which actually … Continue reading Merrily We Go To Hell – Blu-Ray Review →