“You’ve got a killer scene there man!”
Scenes that make the movies
Split Screen
When films talk to one another
Reloading the Canon
A weekly podcast I co-host.
Author Archives: Ross Birks
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Guy Ritchie has a good eye and his visual sensibility is one of the big pleasures of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. The 60s costumes, buildings and overall flavour are a joy to soak up. I enjoyed the performances too. Henry Cavill … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Alicia Vikander, Armie Hammer, Guy Ritchie, Henry Cavil, Hugh Grant, The Man from UNCLE
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Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972)
An exuberant burst of genre excess and visual expressionism, Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion is one of the most striking and exhilarating films I’ve seen recently. Starring the monumental Meiko Kaji in one of, if not her most iconic role, the film is … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews, Uncategorized
Tagged Female Prisoner Scorpion, Meiko Kaji, Shunya Ito
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Angel (1982)
Very cool and casual debut from Neil Jordan that shows a lot of confidence and craft. It points towards the genre/mundane mashings of Mona Lisa and The Crying Gamewonderfully. What starts out as a nightclub-bound character piece about a Jazz saxophonist suddenly turns … Continue reading
I’m making a feature film.
https://soundcloud.com/rossbirks/episode-1-origin-story It’s called “Hollywood Boulevard” and is set in a cinema. I decided to record a weekly podcast to document my progress in making the film and the first episode is now live. Enjoy.
A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)
My first Greenaway! It’s always jarring and a little intimidating when you first dip your toe into the pool of a filmmaker who is notoriously singular and provocative. It’s the moment when your idea of a filmmaker’s sensibility, in this case “Greenaway-esque”, … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged A Zed and Two Noughts, Peter Greenaway
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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)
Came for the Bayhem. 13 Hours has some pretty great stretches when it operates as a siege film, relying on nothing more than the tension of potential gunfire and attack. Eyes squinting into the crosshairs of weapons, night vision landscapes, shadows striking … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged 13 Hours, James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Michael Bay
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Black Dynamite (2009)
A technically spot-on blaxploitation send-up that is about as funny as anything I’ve seen recently. Michael Jai White kills it. The entire cast kills it. The composer kills it. They really nailed this, right on down to shooting the whole … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Black Dynamite, Michael Jai White, Scott Sanders
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Knight of Cups (2016)
You either vibe with Terrence Malick or you don’t. I don’t get people who claim to love The Tree of Life but then straight up slam To the Wonder or Knight of Cups. Sure, they work to varying degrees of success but the filmmaking, ambition and voice … Continue reading
The Wave (2015)
Technically adept, to-the-point and directed with simplicity and clarity, The Wave is a welcome antidote to the bloated excess of Hollywood’s disaster movie output. The film has some excellent set-pieces and can often be wince-inducing but there is also a lot of … Continue reading
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
Nigel Kneale and Quatermass are British institutions and were incredibly influential on the people who shaped our current pop culture. Doctor Who, The League of Gentlemen and Edgar Wright, to name but a few, owe a great debt to Kneale … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Nigel Kneale, Quatermass and the Pit, Roy Ward Baker
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"This Film Should Be Played Loud" 