Michael Mann’s gothic classic seemed to be an uphill battle from the start, with a troubled production compounded by limitations set by the studio. Completed as three-and-a-half-hour film, a two-hour cut was assembled for test audiences which were not positive, so The Keep was again trimmed prior to release, coming in at just 96 minutes. […]
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Clint Eastwood’s first Hollywood western follows upon the actor’s whirlwind success in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars” trilogy, delivering a hard-fought story of vengeance and justice set in the Oklahoma Territory of 1889. Directed by workhorse film and television director, Ted Post, Hang ‘Em High is out now on DVD from Umbrella Entertainment, in which innocent man,
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Many of us grew up with that Friday night tradition of heading down to the local video shop where isles of VHS tapes and DVDs would lay await, spoiling us with seemingly endless variety and choice. While some self-proclaimed movie buffs would dream of one day working behind the counter, Melanie Mcinerney went a step
Short Film Review: The Throwback (2019) Read More »
Captain Clegg was my first escape to the select group of films often referred to as ‘Hammer’s Pirate Movies’ and remains one of my favourites from the British studio. Now thanks to Twilight Time Movies I’ve recently been able to enjoy The Pirates of Blood River, which follows a tattered band of ruthless pirates who
Blu-ray Review: The Pirates of Blood River (1962) Read More »
I’d never thought I would be confronted with the corniness of enjoyed two of my favourite actors, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, but Eddie Murphy’s incarnation of Rudy Ray Moore, aka Dolemite, did just that. However, the point was not to lampoon a particular brand of “white comedy”, rather than to expose a gap in
Review: Dolemite Is My Name (2019) Read More »
I remember renting Cut on VHS upon its release but not so much the film itself, although it did become a marker for nostalgia towards the new millennium, back when I was a budding movie collector; well-practiced at filling tapes to the brim with movies recorded off TV thanks to Long Play mode. Here we
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Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dynamite (aka Duck You Sucker!) was the final western epic from the master filmmaker, now available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from Eureka Entertainment, under their prestigious ‘The Masters of Cinema’ collection. Two of Hollywood’s most popular heavy hitters, Rod Steiger and James Coburn, take centre
Blu-ray Review: A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) Read More »
We now live in a world where Martin Scorsese has made a movie for Netflix, which feels like one of those ‘before and after’ moments, especially if you’re an avid filmgoer. Years in the making and adapted from the 2004 book, I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, The Irishman is the story of
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Watching films from the treasure-trove that was the 1970s is more or less the primary goal each year, a decade which began fifty years ago. Next Stop, Greenwich Village was a highlight of 2019’s extensive line-up, Paul Mazursky’s slice-of-life comedy/drama produced under 20th Century Fox that soon may be under lock and key. Thankfully, the
Blu-ray Review: Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) Read More »
When The Force Awakens hit theatres four years ago, the beginning of Disney’s anticipated sequel trilogy, there was so much buzz and unbridled optimism among fans. Now that we’re at the end, the mood has changed significantly as those years between gave use the best and worst of fan/internet culture. Need I say more? However,
Review: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) Read More »