Category Archives: Film Review
Review: Brick (2005)
BRICK is the kind of film that really shouldn’t work. The premise: a hardboiled detective film set in an American high school. It’s a unique combination of disparate ideas, and somehow everything comes together and makes for a fantastically weird and wonderful end … Continue reading
Iron Man 3: Marvel’s Gambit Pays Off (In My Opinion)
The general consensus about whether Shane Black’s IRON MAN 3 is any good seems to be split about 50/50. Personally, I loved it – it’s a bold, pacey, sometimes dark and nearly always funny hero-in-crisis movie. I see it as … Continue reading
When Russian Film Came in From the Cold: Night Watch and Day Watch
This article was originally written for Subtitled Online July 2012. The Russian fantasy blockbusters NIGHT WATCH (2004) and DAY WATCH (2006), written and directed by Timur Bekmambetov and based on the novels by Sergey Lukyaneko, are far more relevant to Russian filmmaking … Continue reading
Review: The Hunt (2012)
Thomas Vinterberg’s frank and intelligent discussion of society’s instinctive, well-intentioned, but sometimes damaging reactions to reports of child abuse is immediately recognisable as a Vinterberg film. Like his breakout Dogme 95 masterpiece FESTEN (1998), The Hunt dares to tackle a … Continue reading
Rush: Two Perspectives
This review of RUSH (2013) was written by Sam Sewell-Peterson and special guest writer Stefan Mackley. Stefan’s personal blog is Motorsportmadness. The Film Buff’s Take I’m not a sporty person, and am not particularly familiar with Formula 1, past or present. … Continue reading
Review: Festen (1998)
This review was originally written for Subtitled Online August 2010. FESTEN was the first film released following the Dogme 95 “Vow of Chastity”. The rules included technical restrictions (cameras to be low quality and handheld, no sound or music to … Continue reading
Blood in the Snow: Let the Right One In vs. Let Me In
This article was originally written for Subtitled Online September 2011. The remake vs. original debate is one of the oldest and most frequently occurring in the film industry. Whenever original ideas run dry, Hollywood often turns to the untapped well … Continue reading
Jurassic Park 3D: Spared No Expense
I’ve loved JURASSIC PARK since I first saw it in the cinema as a small child. It’s a magical experience for me, and shows the real majesty of special effects work (both animatronic and CGI) when they’re done well. I … Continue reading
The Best Film I’ve Seen This Year: The Way Way Back
You don’t often see comedies like THE WAY WAY BACK today, and that makes me sad. I’m tired with overblown, excessive, abrasive humour on film. The Way Way Back, co-written and directed by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon is pretty much the polar opposite of … Continue reading
Review: Cargo (2009)
This review was originally written for Subtitled Online August 2010. Switzerland’s first attempt at sci-fi, and writer-directors Ivan Engler/Ralph Etter’s feature film debut, CARGO harks back to numerous icons of science fiction cinema – from THE THING to THE MATRIX, and, most prominently, Ridley … Continue reading
SSP Thinks Film 