Film Reviews
Sergio Martino’s ‘All The Colours of The Dark’ (1972)
Sergio Martino's 'All The Colours of The Dark' (1972) was pretty cool and is a weirdly varied Giallo mash-up of all sorts of colours and hues. Living in London, Jane (Edwige Fenech) has been having nightmares: her sister advises psychotherapy; her boyfriend Richard...
‘The French Connection’ or — The Perfection of Exhilaration.
(Contains one use of very strong language) The films starts with the blaring of dissonant horns, thumping percussion and woodwinds seemingly spluttering out a warning in Morse code as though trying to tell us we’re entering dangerous territory and we should really be...
‘Bird Box’ or — Just About Worth a Peek At?
The wind blows, leaves swirl menacingly whilst people start committing suicide in ever increasing numbers and we, the audience, are struck by a stomach-churning realisation of terror as we wonder — are we watching a remake of M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Happening’...
The Political Implications of Fucking an Octopus
Ever thought Sam Neill’s performances in ‘Event Horizon’ and ‘In The Mouth of Madness’ were too subtle and underplayed? Ever wondered what it would be like if ‘High Fidelity’ was directed by David Cronenberg? Ever watched a Terrence Malick or Ingmar Bergman meditation...
‘Cowards Bend The Knee’ or — Suture Selves
I grew up hearing tales of people passing out and fainting at the cinema for years, usually during ‘The Exorcist’, ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ or thinking the train is going to come out of the screen and run them over. Yet despite my delicate frame I have a pretty robust...
Pasolini’s ‘Theorem’. Or — Sexy Jesus Destroys the Bourgeoisie System by Fucking it to Bits
Okay, so I’ve just watched ‘Theorem’ in which a middle-class family have their lives transformed by Terrence Stamp turning up and having sex with each of them in turn. But is there actual transformation going on? Is there a cost? Does transformation necessarily lead...
My thoughts on Spectre
So a few months back I made a comment about the trailer for SPECTRE looking so urine yellow that I wondered if Sam Mendes hadn’t just opened up the camera and pissed into it. Well, it turns out I was wrong as having now seen the film it turns out he took a massive...
‘Northern Exposure’ or –Bill Morrison’s ‘Dawson City: Frozen Time’
So last night I went to the GFT to see Bill Morrison’s new film ‘Dawson City: Frozen Time’. I walked into the cinema out of the rain, ordered my usual aesthete fitness drink — tap water with ice — at the bar and settled down in my seat. One of the things people can do...
‘Celine and Julie Go Boating’ or — Zack Snyder’s ‘Sucker Punch’ done right
And this is meant to be Rivette’s accessible one?! So Jacque Rivette’s ‘Beavis and Butthead Go Boating’ (no spoilers!) starts with Julie, a librarian, sitting in a Parisian park and reading a book about magic. She looks around her — is she trying magic out on her...
‘O Lucky Man’ or — Bean Flick?
So the story of ‘O Lucky Man’ concerns Mick Travis (played by Malcolm McDowell), a coffee salesman for the Imperial Coffee Company, who travels to the North East of England and then Scotland. During his odyssey he encounters various characters and institutions all...
Recent Interviews
(Check out more on Facebook)
The Literary Chick Interview – Lily Morris
The purpose of art is limitless and different for everyone. It’s a receipt of your life force, a map, a fantasy world, a mirror... so many things. If you’re asking what the purpose is for me, right now? In This 4am online chat with my brilliant friend Michael Corvo,...
The Literary Chick Interview – Dave Barbarossa
== I have a kindle. Just finished reading ‘High Rollers’ by Jack Bowman. I think I’ll take the ferry after reading that. == erm...‘The Human Stain’ by Phillip Roth. == Escape. To be transported. I am drawn to scores of great authors. I loved John Updike and Dickens,...
The Literary Chick Interview – Adam Smyer
Adam Smyer is the author of Knucklehead, which has been accurately described as “A fierce, intelligent, and often hilarious novel about a young African-Attorney who struggles to keep his cool in the personally and political turbulent ‘90’s”. The Literary Chick was...