For years I dreamed of the day The Criterion Collection would come to the UK. In 2016 that dream came true (with a little help from Sony Pictures Releasing), the boutique distributor arrived and my mind went into hyperdrive. I was like a child let loose in a Toy shop, I couldn’t decide what releases… Read More Film Review – The Uninvited (1944, Criterion Collection)
“What kind of bird are you?!”, Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom is the latest film from the director to join the Criterion Collection. The perfect platform to showcase his talents, with a charming sweet tale of lost love. Young love and unbridled friendship. The film is the follow up to Anderson’s 2009 stop animation Fantastic Mr.Fox.… Read More Film Review – Moonrise Kingdom (2012, Criterion Collection)
From stage to screen and now fifty-Seven years later, Lorraine Hansberry‘s A Raisin In The Sun (1981) gets its Blu-ray release courtesy of The Criterion Collection. Starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands reprising their roles from the stage to front of the camera. An account of an African American working class family living in… Read More Blu-Ray Review – A Raisin In The Sun (1961, Criterion Collection)
Amongst the cavalcade of cinematic masterpieces, arthouse wonders, World Cinema powerhouses, The Criterion Collection know how to dial down the tone, to unleash some lighthearted fun. Gregory La Cava‘s My Man Godfrey (1936), a brilliantly funny screwball comedy that delivers that lighthearted fun with some social satire. When it comes to period based films or… Read More Blu-Ray Review – My Man Godfrey (1936, Criterion Collection)
24 years after its release, Olivier Assayas Cold Water (1994, L’eau Froide) finally gets it’s (Blu-Ray)Home Entertainment release courtesy of The Criterion Collection. A coming of age story of urban teen angst in 1970’s Paris, France. The film is regarded by some as Assayas ‘debut’ film when ironically it was actually his fifth if anything… Read More Blu-Ray Review – Cold Water (1994, Criterion Collection)
It takes a lot to stay focused and follow what you believe in or what you desire is doomed. In Susan Seidelman‘s Smithereens (1982), Wren (Susan Berman) is a determined young woman who wants to be famous. Even if that means loosing and alienating those few friends you may have to get what you want.… Read More Blu-Ray Review – Smithereens (1982, Criterion Collection)
Over time, they say somethings get better as they age a little and then start to appreciate them a lot more. This is a sentiment you can easily relate to film, sometimes certain films should be left in the decade they came from like Sex, Lies, And Videotape. The 1989 film marked the directorial feature… Read More Blu-Ray Review – Sex, Lies And Videotape (1989, Criterion Collection)
No one likes to be duped whatever the situation. When the hypnotic gaze on the camera is from none other than the ‘charlatan’ himself Orson Welles, you can’t help giving yourself up to him. The Criterion Collection continues its expansion into the UK market with F For Fake (1974), a lesson in trickery, deceit, and… Read More Blu-Ray Review – F For Fake (1974, Criterion Collection)
I should really confess my knowledge of Jazz and John Murray Anderson‘s King Of Jazz (1930) is non-existent. The question some may ask: ‘Is it a crime to call yourself a ‘cinefile’ when you’ve had no prior knowledge of the film in question? No. Some may argue thanks to niche distributors such as The Criterion… Read More Blu-ray Review – King Of Jazz (1930, Criterion Collection)
If there was ever a marmite Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004) might just be that film. After the success of The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), there was a pressure for the film to succeed back in 2004. True Anderson fans despite the mixed critical response love Steve Zissou even with all… Read More Blu-Ray Review – The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Criterion Collection)
