Director Richard Loncraine and star Ian McKellen’s reworking of William Shakespeare’s classic tale of a king ‘offering his kingdom for a horse’ is given a wholly new spin by reducing the epic play (reportedly one of the Bard’s longest) to roughly 100 mins. with surprisingly minimal dialogue…
Reviews of Tonino Valerii’s first two films, the spaghetti westerns Taste of Killing (1966) from Wild East and the newly restored Day of Anger (1967) in gorgeous HD from Arrow Video USA / MVD Visual.
Considered a protégé of genre pioneer Sergio Leone, Tonino Valerii had already distinguished himself in his debut Taste of Killing (1966), and what was initially designed to be a B-level production suddenly became more high-profile when popular actor Giuliano Gemma wanted to tackle the role…
It’s hard to believe Taste of Killing stems from the same director as Day of Anger (1967), but there’s a sense the film was hampered by a low budget and meddling producers which reduced the film to 85 mins. – a length that actually feels interminably long due to an absolutely dreadful screenplay by handful of novices…
Soundtrack reviews of Cris Velasco’s Assassins Creed Unity: Dead Kings (Ubisoft), Will Bates’ Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (Lakeshore), John Frizzell’s The Loft (Varese Sarabande), Wolfram de Marco’s Loft (MovieScore Media), and Nuno malo’s LUV (Milan).
Now Where Were We? Right. Let’s go back to LAST NIGHT (1998)
Don McKellar’s LAST NIGHT (1998) is the first review after a long pause in activities at KQEK.com
Gothic Steele: An Angel for Satan (1966)
Review of AN ANGEL FOR SATAN / UN ANGELO PER SATANA (1966), Barbara Steele’s last Italian Gothic, on Blu-ray from Severin Films
Spanish Giallo I: When a Cannibal is not a Cannibal, but When a Scream is Indeed a Scream
Severin Films showcases the work of Eloy de la Iglesia via two fine Spanish gialli entries: NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM (1973) + CANNIBAL MAN (1972)
ArtScopeTO 10: Interview with Abstract Painter Donna Wise
For my occasional podcast series ArtScope TO, Abstract Painter Donna Wise discusses her unique techniques, and working during the 2020-2021 pandemic.
Podcast: Jason Pichonsky on Restoring Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + PHOBIA (1980)
Alongside a podcast with CanCon film historian Jason Pichonsky are revised reviews of Julian Roffman’s THE BLOODY BROOD (1959) + John Huston’s PHOBIA (1980), both from KINO Lorber / Unobstructed View.
Podcast: ANNE WITH AN E composers Amin Bhatia & Ari Posner
Podcast interview with ANNE WITH AN E’s composing team Amin Bhatia and Ari Posner.
Assorted characters collide and interact in the lead-up to Earth’s demise at precisely midnight.
BR: Angel for Satan, An / Un angelo per Satana (1966)
Had Barbara Steele remained in Europe – especially Italy – during the early 1970s, she may well have appeared in giallo thrillers…
BR: Cannibal Man / La semana del asesino / Apartment on the 13th Floor, The (1972)
Cannibal Man has a palpable crime-drama feel – the events unfold after daily title cards – and one can sense Hitchcockian sensibilities…
BR: No One Heard the Scream / Nadie oyó gritar (1973)
After the grisly thriller Cannibal Man (1972), Spanish auteur Eloy de la Iglesia opted for a far less graphic thriller which is part giallo…
DVD: Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films, The (2014)
Produced and released around the same time as Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014), the approach by director Hilla Medalia is a more authorized chronicle…
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