Ken Russell was one of Britain’s few cinematic renegades but Valentino is a film he publicly said he rather forget. It’s based loosely on a biography on the silent film star Rudolph Valentino who is played here by the Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev. Valentino was Russell’s first foray into Hollywood filmmaking after the cult success of Tommy … Continue reading Valentino – Blu-Ray Review →

Věra Chytilová remains one of the most unique voices in world cinema even if she only made Daisies (her best known film) but her work is only being discovered in English-speaking countries in recent years. Here Second Run has compiled two early works of Chytilová which show her development into one of the cinema’s greats. The films are the … Continue reading Věra Chytilová Double Bill – DVD Review →

Takashi Miike is one of the wildest filmmakers working today and one of the most prolific making at least two films a year for over 20 years. Auditionis often considered his masterpiece and was the first film of his which cemented his reputation in the west. Miike often crossbreds genres with much ease and Audition is … Continue reading Audition – Blu-Ray Review →

Before Ruggero Deodato made one of the most notorious films in cinematic history with Cannibal Holocaust he made this crazed Poliziotteschi film. I actually met Deodato at a screening of Cannibal Holocaust a few years ago without knowing about this film but he was a the sweetest old man you can imagine and certainly didn’t live up to … Continue reading Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man – Blu-Ray Review →

Emir Kusturica since the early ’80s has remained one of the most singular voices in World Cinema. Underground is a surrealist war epic that had Kusturica being proclaimed the Serbian heir of Fellini though the lens of Fellini’s other cinematic child Terry Gilliam. Underground won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival and to this day … Continue reading Underground – Blu-Ray Review →