2 days agoCriterion ‘committed’ to UK but taking ‘extended summer break’I wrote up some speculation last month that Criterion may be pulling out of the UK (Region B) market. Nothing was official but there were some rather worrying signs and there has been a lull in new release announcements (it’s now been two months). I approached Criterion for comment and…Criterion Collection1 min readCriterion Collection1 min read
May 11Are Criterion closing down their UK operation?Chat-room speculation is circulating that Criterion, arguably the flagship boutique physical media company in the world, may be drawing down their UK/Region B operation. Eagle-eyed fans are worried that ongoing stock issues with certain titles, combined with a downturn in the number of releases (just two a month in recent…Criterion4 min readCriterion4 min read
Mar 102023 Oscar predictions because why the fuck notI largely loathe the Academy Awards. They are a largely brainless and vainglorious exercise in corporate PR, based around the idea that there can be an objective ‘best’ when it comes to art. The list of snubs and mistakes could fill a phonebook and I have severe reservations of anyone…Academy Awards2 min readAcademy Awards2 min read
Mar 7Squirrels to the Nuts, Peter Bogdanovich’s last film, finally enjoys London ‘premiere’Almost 10 years after filming wrapped and more than one year after the death of its director, on Monday evening Squirrels to the Nuts, the final film of New Hollywood legend Peter Bogdanovich, had its London ‘premiere’. You see, back in 2015 Bogs’ last film was taken away from him…Squirrels To The Nuts4 min readSquirrels To The Nuts4 min read
Mar 3Michael Cimino: A stubborn liar, a misunderstood geniusTo believe the one-time cultural hegemony, Michael Cimino ruined the ‘New Hollywood’ era and ushered in an 80s of dire and uninspired cinema, which focused more on box office box-ticking than storytelling. His magnum opus Heaven’s Gate, with its bloated budget, excessive runtime and paltry box office in 1980, marked…Michael Cimino5 min readMichael Cimino5 min read
Feb 15Blonde and Tár: Anti-women, anti-power or anti-society?Two acclaimed (male) auteurs returned to cinema screens in 2022 with wildly different, wildly ambitious films that have both been accused, to varying degrees, of being either anti-women or outright misogynistic. But are they? Andrew Dominik took on Marilyn Monroe; adapting Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 tome Blonde to look at…Blonde5 min readBlonde5 min read
Dec 31, 2022My top ten favourite films of 2022I have done my best in 2022 to try and catch everything. Inevitably, I have failed. Nonetheless I think it’s been a stellar year for cinema, even if that is (unfortunately) not reflected in the box office receipts. It’s been a tough process to whittle down my list to just…Films5 min readFilms5 min read
Dec 14, 2022Andrew Dominik says cinema ‘getting more conservative’ and US movies ‘have turned into bedtime stories’I think it’s fair to categorise the critical reaction to Andrew Dominik’s Blonde as ‘divided’. With the Netflix film the Aussie director put Marilyn Monroe’s life, especially her iconography, under the microscope and used artistic licence to imagine how Monroe’s life might have been. The result is a bleak, harrowing…Andrew Dominik3 min readAndrew Dominik3 min read
Dec 2, 2022What to say about the films dropped from Sight and Sound listOn Thursday Sight and Sound released their once-a-decade list of The Greatest Films of All Time. Twenty five films that had been on the list in 2012 dropped off entirely. They are: The Godfather Part II (Previously 31) Gertrud (Previously 42) Raging Bull (Previously 53) Touch of Evil (Previously 57) …Sight And Sound4 min readSight And Sound4 min read
Nov 24, 2022James Cameron still grudging about filming Aliens in England 37 years agoThe hype machine for Avatar: The Way of Water is kicking into full gear and that has given James Cameron a perfect opportunity to, once again, bitch about filming Aliens in England in 1985. Speaking to GQ about the ‘culture shock’ of directing The Terminator, he said: “The culture shock…James Cameron3 min readJames Cameron3 min read
