John McNaughton created one of the most important independent films of the 1980s with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer—although for the most part audiences couldn’t see it until 1990, outside of the festival circuit and furtively distributed copies. McNaughton was inspired by an American TV special on 20/20 about Henry Lee Lucas, and the resulting film uses … Continue reading Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer – Blu-Ray Review →

This 1954 BBC adaptation of the dystopian classic 1984 by everybody's favourite self-described "Tory Anarchist," George Orwell, was the novel’s first serious adaptation. Previously it had been adapted for CBS's Studio One, and the result was abysmal—it was kind of like those budget best-of CDs where it has one or two hits from the artist … Continue reading Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954) – Blu-Ray Review →

Eureka Entertainment's latest boxset is a triple bill of old monster movies from the Universal vault. Two of the films, The Monolith Monster and Monster on the Campus, had involvement with B-movie auteur Jack Arnold. Arnold was the mastermind behind such films as The Creature from the Black Lagoon and the surprisingly existential The Incredible Shrinking Man. However, the best film … Continue reading Three Monster Tales of Sci-Fi Terror – Blu-Ray Review →

In Cold Blood is, of course, based on Truman Capote’s true crime novel of the same name. It was directed by Richard Brooks, who knew Capote and had read early drafts of the book. Otto Preminger wanted to do it, which would actually have saved his career—but Brooks bought the rights for $400,000, which must … Continue reading In Cold Blood – Blu-Ray Review →

Boat People was directed by Ann Hui, and is considered one of the key films of the Hong Kong new wave of the 1970s-1980s—Wong Kar-wai is the most notable director in this movement. Run Towards the Angry Sea is the translation of film’s original Chinese title, with Boat People being tacked on later to cater … Continue reading Boat People – Blu-Ray Review →