Reviews of two films ostensibly about the water Crisis in Flint, Michigan: Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018) from WHV + Bruce Beresford’s Flint (2017) from Sony.
Reviews of the Sherwood Forest series: Bandit of SH (1946), Rogues of SH (1950), Men of SH (1954), and Sword of SH (1960) on Blu from Twilight Time.
Review of Desecration (1999) on Blu from Code Red / KINO / Unobstructed View + an interview with writer-director-composer Dante Tomaselli.
In Suburban Tales VIII, I examine Martin Ritt’s film of John McPartland’s novel No Down Payment (1957), released on shiny Blu-ray by Twilight Time, plus some contemporary parallels…
Review of the latest 3D killer fish flick: THE MEG (2018) from Warner Bros. + quick thoughts on the ongoing Canada-wide postal strike.
Review of Tobe Hooper’s feature film swan song, the barely seen Djinn (2013), from Screen Media.
Just in time for the U.S. midterms are two political dramas – Spike Lee’s BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018) from Universal + John Ford’s THE LAST HURRAH (1958) from Twilight Time.
Review of the Dwayne Johnson disaster entry SKYSCRAPER (2018) from Universal + thoughts on Video Store Day 8 and the Human Element that keeps the very creation of Physical Media alive.
Review + additional thoughts on Fox’ A-level talent in the brooding western THE BRAVADOS (1958), new on Blu from Twilight Time.
CanCon 101 spotlights one of the best ghost stories ever made, Peter Medak’s chilling THE CHANGELING (1980), new on Blu via Severin Films.
The Jack the Ripper flick that almost got away…
Review of Severin’s packed Blu-ray of JACK THE RIPPER, the shockingly good 1959 version, rescued from oblivion.
ArtScopeTO 08: Interview with Photographer Lori Ryerson
The latest ArtScopeTO podcast features a chat with photographer Lori Ryerson, whose series OFF THE BEATEN PATH can be seen at Toronto’s Urban Gallery until Sat. April 27, 2019.
Podcast Interview with Saint Judy Composer James T. Sale
In a new podcast, composer James T. Sale discusses his music for Sean Hanish’s prescient bio-drama, SAINT JUDY (2018).
Thoughts on sex & architecture & a review of Wim Verstappen & Pim de la Parra’s BLUE MOVIE (1971), new on Blu from Cult Epics.
Death in Splendid Isolation: Lighthouse Mysteries
The lure of the lighthouse proved fatal for some in THE VANISHING (2018) on Blu from Lionsgate + THE PHANTOM LIGHT (1935) on DVD from MPI.
ArtScopeTO 08: Interview with Photographer Lori Ryerson
The latest ArtScopeTO podcast features a chat with photographer Lori Ryerson, whose series OFF THE BEATEN PATH can be seen at Toronto’s Urban Gallery until Sat. April 27, 2019.
Podcast Interview with Saint Judy Composer James T. Sale
In a new podcast, composer James T. Sale discusses his music for Sean Hanish’s prescient bio-drama, SAINT JUDY (2018).
Viva Amiga’s Zach Weddington (and a bit of gear talk)
Podcast interview with Zach Weddington on Viva Amiga, his affectionate documentary on the pioneering multimedia computer (plus a bit of gear talk).
Jack the Ripper was arguably the first ‘star’ serial killer, and the public’s interest in gory details proves how little human nature has changed in the past 31 years…
BR: Blue Movie / Session in Amsterdam (1971)
The frankness within Blue Movie is quite astonishing – full frontal male & female naughty bits, with active handling & touching on camera, as filmed by a young Jan de Bont…
DVD: Phantom Light, The (1935)
In 1935, Michael Powell directed 7 films, and The Phantom Light (1935) is among the few of his early quota work to make it to DVD. For North Americans familiar with his more daring artistic experiments with Emeric Pressburger (such as The Red Shoes, or Black Narcissus)…
BR: Vanishing, The / Keepers (2018)
Based on the still-unsolved Flannan Isle Mystery in which three lighthouse keepers vanished from an isolated isle without a trace in 1900, Joe Bone and Celyn Jones’ script unravels like a classic thriller in which isolation + greed drives men mad…
Whether Pearl S. Buck’s first screenplay required heavy work by Claude Binyon isn’t known, but the author of The Good Earth (published in 1931, and made into a film in 1937 by MGM) reportedly wrote China Story around 1950…
Written during his busiest period (1968-1970), Quincy Jones’ score for John and Mary was quite sparse, leaving obligatory space for the film’s myriad dialogue exchanges and source music, but the score is memorable for being atypical of the material Jones was writing at the time: action comedies (The Italian Job, The Hell with Heroes), comedies (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice,Cactus Flower), and the funky style of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!
For some soundtrack fans, it was a bit of surprise to learn the composer of pioneering synth scores had begun his career with large orchestral scores for John Boorman’s Excalibur (1981) and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal (1982)…
LP: Bourne Identity, The (2002)
The first film in the enduring franchise gave John Powell the perfect opportunity to write what remains both his definitive action sound, and the definitive action score of that decade, blending large orchestral sounds with layers upon layers of electronics…
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