Blu-ray Review: Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom
It’s been 35 years since the release of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, the notorious final film of Italian director Paolo Pasolini. The passage of time has done little to change the movies reputation as one of the most depraved, gruesome and sickest projects ever committed to celluloid. A tonally faithful adaption of […]
Blu-ray Review: Les Cousins
For his 1958 debut, Le beau Serge, Claude Chabrol told the story of a man returning to his provincial hometown after many years away. In the follow up, Les cousins, Chabrol flipped things around, even switching the types of roles played by the two lead actors. This time, Gérard Blain is Charles, a mama’s boy […]
Blu-ray Review: Carlos
2010’s French-German co-production Carlos began as a television miniseries, its three parts topping out at a lengthy 5 hours and 39 minutes, while a 165 minute version was released theatrically. In truth, the longer version is necessary to really understand the notorious career of Illich Ramairez Sánchez (Edgar Ramírez), the Venezuelan terrorist and killer for […]
Blu-ray Review: Le Beau Serge
Often considered the first the film of what would become known as the French New Wave (though Jacques Rivette’s Paris Belongs to Us was the first to go into production), Claude Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge received near unanimous critical acclaim upon its release in 1958. Chabrol’s debut isn’t as polished as the films that would […]
Blu-ray Review: My Life As A Dog
Based on a popular autobiographical novel by Reidar Jo nsson, My Life as a Dog is a wonderful film about navigating the difficulties of childhood. Director Lasse Hallström’s breakout film was nominated for two Oscar Awards and the winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Anton Glanzelius plays Ingemar, a hyperintelligent […]
Blu-ray Review: The Complete Jean Vigo
Dead at 29 from tuberculosis French filmmaker Jean Vigo left behind just one feature length film and three shorts. Despite his meager output, Vigo was a major influence on the French New Wave of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Today, he remains a unique and respected talent in film. His work has been revived […]
Blu-ray Review: Orpheus
Full of haunting, imagery, Orpheus is surrealist filmmaker’s Jean Cocteau’s bold attempt to merge film and poetry. Bored by his life of fame and notoriety as a leading Left Bank poet, Orphée (Jean Marais) is ready for new experiences. At the Poet’s Café, he walks among other writers without really becoming part of them. He […]
Blu-ray Review: If….
Financed by Paramount Pictures and then nearly shelved when executives saw its bold ending involving machine guns, If…. brought controversy and criticism to director Lindsay Anderson (This Sporting Life) and made an instant star of pouty young Malcolm McDowell, who shines in the role of Mick Travis, a rebellious senior student at a posh English […]
Blu-ray Review: Secret Sunshine
If I were going to make a list of a list of films that portray grief in a palpable manner, Secret Sunshine would be near the top of the list. Recently widowed, Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon) and her son Jun (Seon Jung-yeop) move to the small town of Milyang to start a new life. Her mantra […]
Blu-ray Review: Cul-de-sac
Similar to his earlier film Knife in the Water, Roman Polanski’s Cul-de-sac is a subtle exploration of shifting power in a mismatched threesome. Polanski’s decision to set the film in a single, claustrophobic space, results in a revealing black comedy about class and gender struggle. Donald Pleasence and Françoise Dorléac play George and Teresa, newlyweds […]