Bleak Night

Bleak Night (Cert 15) 1 Disc (Distributor: Third Window Films) Running Time: 117 minutes approx. A man, (Jo Sung-Ha), is searching for answers as to why his teenage son Ki-Tae (Lee Je-Hoon) committed suicide. Having never been there for his son, it falls to a photograph of Ki-Tae with two other boys, Dong-Yoon (Seo Jun-Young) …

Student Services (Mes chères etudes)

Student Services (Mes chères etudes) France (2010) Dir. Emmanuelle Bercot Laura (Déborah François) is student with dreams of becoming an interpreter but like many young people in further education she has her debts, not helped by her lazy boyfriend Manu (Benjamin Siksou) who demand she pays her way without contributing himself. Her parents can’t help …

Accel World Part 1

Accel World Part 1 (Episodes 1-12) (Cert 15) 2 Discs (Distributor: MVM) Running time: 274 minutes approx. In 2046 technology has advanced to the point where humans are now able to manipulate their five senses through a virtual system called Neuro-Synchronization, which allows them to access the internet and play virtual games via a small …

Big Bad Wolves (Mi mefakhed mehaze’ev hara)

Big Bad Wolves (Mi mefakhed mehaze'ev hara) Israel (2013) Dirs. Aharon Keshales & Navot Papushado When a young girl goes missing during a game of hide and seek school teacher Dror (Rotem Keinan) is arrested by the police, and given a beating by detective Micki (Lior Ashkenazi) to reveal the girl’s location. Instead the information …

Beyond The Hill (Tepenin ardi)

Beyond The Hill (Tepenin ardi) Turkey (2012) Dir. Emin Alper A remote idyllic canyon is home to old farmer Faik (Tamer Levent) and the land which has been in his family for generations. Along with his helper Mehmet (Mehmet Ozgur), Faik is fiercely protective of his land which is being put to the test with …

Rashomon

Rashomon Japan (1950) Dir. Akira Kurosawa Following on from watching the Hollywood adaptation of this film The Outrage, it was only fair I give the original a rewatch to ensure the comments concerning the various comparisons and differences were just and accurate. There seems little point in fully recapping the plot in lieu of how …

The Outrage

The Outrage US (1964) Dir. Martin Ritt John Sturges took Kurosawa’s seminal Seven Samurai and turned it into The Magnificent Seven; Sergio Leone re-imagined Kurosawa’s Yojimbo as A Fistful Of Dollars; could it be a case of third time a charm for Martin Ritt as he follows suit by relocating Kurosawa’s Rashomon to the Wild …

Wrinkles (Arrugas)

Wrinkles (Arrugas) Spain (2011) Dir. Ignacio Ferreras With his son and daughter unable to cope as Alzheimer’s begins to set in, Emilio is put into a care home to see out the reminder of his days. There he is roomed with the canny Miguel, who shows Emilio the ropes including a stern warning to stay …

WWE Wrestlemania 30

WWE Wrestlemania 30 (Cert 15) 3 Discs DVD/ 2 Discs Blu-ray (Distributor: Fremantle Media) Running Time:  234 minutes approx. Welcome everyone to the thirtieth anniversary of the wrestling super show which this year was created by the fans and not the result of Vince McMahon’s creative leadership. And it’s all because of a short, shaggy …

Fairy Tail Blu-ray Collection 2

Fairy Tail Blu-ray Collection 2 (Episodes 25-48) (Cert PG) 4 Discs (Distributor: Manga Entertainment) Running time: 588 minutes approx. This is more of a heads-up than a full review as Manga Entertainment complete their addition to the Blu-ray ranks of volumes three and four of the latest hit shonen adventure Fairy Tail. As before all …