Suicide Club aka Suicide Circle (Jisatsu sâkuru) Japan (2001) Dir. Sion Sono The final film of this Halloween weekend is an early and highly controversial effort from the highly controversial Japanese director Sion Sono. While not a horror in the truest sense, Sono does shock us with his trenchant if slightly obtuse and offbeat take … Continue reading Suicide Club aka Suicide Circle (Jisatsu sâkuru)
Memory aka Ghost House (Rak Lorn)
Memory aka Ghost House (Rak Lorn) Thailand (2008) Dir. Torpong Tunkamhang For my next Halloween watch I found this Thai effort in my ever-growing pile of unwatched DVDs, which was hard to track down details of as it is known under two titles - Memory and Ghost House - and there doesn’t appear to be … Continue reading Memory aka Ghost House (Rak Lorn)
Cruel Restaurant (Zankoku hanten)
Cruel Restaurant (Zankoku hanten) Japan (2008) Dir. Koji Kawano It’s Halloween so the form is to watch some horror films in celebration. As a quick filler this 74 minute, low budget, shot on video exploitation shocker from Japan was dug out of my archive of unwatched films. With a description like that and the fact … Continue reading Cruel Restaurant (Zankoku hanten)
The Clan (El Clan)
The Clan (El Clan) Argentina (2015) Dir. Pablo Trapero Is it possible to run a kidnapping ring from your own home and keep it from members of your family at the same time? One would think not but in this shocking true story from Argentina that is essentially what happened, although not all of the … Continue reading The Clan (El Clan)
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange US (2016) Dir. Scott Derrickson In the year of the Marvel vs. DC war on the big screen, Marvel are so far 2-0 up with Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War both delivering the goods whilst DC’s Batman vs. Superman and Suicide Squad were disappointments critically and at the box office. Can Marvel … Continue reading Doctor Strange
Papusza
Papusza Poland (2013) Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze & Krzysztof Krauze Bronisława Wajs, known as Papusza, was a Polish-Romani poet, noted for being one of the first Romani poets to be published, bringing Papusza fame for her delicate lyrical style, yet earning her the wrath and disdain of her people for revealing too much to the outsiders … Continue reading Papusza
Photo Kano Complete Collection
Photo Kano Complete Collection (Cert 15) 2 Discs DVD/2 Discs Blu-ray (Distributor: MVM) Running time: 306 minutes approx. Anime knows how to corrupt young minds especially when it comes to teen romance, proffering a number of unique and improbable ways for awkward young men to win the girl of their dreams. Photo Kano posits the … Continue reading Photo Kano Complete Collection
A Violent Prosecutor (Geomsawejeon)
A Violent Prosecutor (Geomsawejeon) Korea (2016) Dir. Lee Il-Hyeong You have to feel for Lee Il-Hyeong. His directorial debut with an A-list cast was on course to being the highest grossing film of 2016 in his native Korea, until the lauded zombie flick Train To Busan (due in the UK very soon) appeared and usurped … Continue reading A Violent Prosecutor (Geomsawejeon)
Pusher
Pusher Denmark (1996) Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn He might currently be best known for his lavish but polarising arty films that clash against the conventions of modern Hollywood but Danish writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn served a more modest beginning to his filmmaking career in his homeland with this gritty debut, the first in a trilogy … Continue reading Pusher
The Wave (Bølgen)
The Wave (Bølgen) Norway (2015) Dir. Roar Uthaug Disaster movies have long been assumed the exclusive property of Hollywood, a monopoly Asia wasn’t going to allow as recent hits such as The Tower, The Sinking of Japan and Out Of Inferno have demonstrated. Europe has been a bit slower off the mark, so it is … Continue reading The Wave (Bølgen)
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