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Author Archives: Ross Birks
Eureka (1983)
A typically Roeg-ian mosaic of greed, lust and rivalry that starts off ice-cold before reaching sunburnt-levels of craziness. Really underrated performance from Hackman here. He plays an extremely hateful, angry character. Very characteristic of Hackman’s best roles (Popeye, Harry Caul) … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Eureka, Gene Hackman, Joe Pesci, Joe Spinell, Mickey Rourke, Nicolas Roeg, Rutger Haur, Theresa Russell
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The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Not quite on board with the negative reaction this one got. Quite a pleasurable watch with a surrealistic blend of animation. I know many didn’t get along with the disconnect between the hyper-real backgrounds and hyper-unreal dinosaurs but I kinda … Continue reading
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
So Batman has a lot of dreams that look like trailers for movies DC are planning on making. That’s weird. I still can’t get behind a Superman so fucking angsty, desaturated and gritty. What the holy fuck were they thinking … Continue reading
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)
I only heard of Paul Mazursky last year (when he passed away, sadly) but his body of work seems to have had a subtle influence on many of today’s best filmmakers. I really didn’t know what to expect. He’s like … Continue reading
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
I fell in love with a dead woman because of this film. My first Akerman movie. A grand epic that celebrates the mundane routine of life and everyday womanhood. Provocative in it’s length, form and meaning but so hypnotic and … Continue reading
Sexually Driven: David Cronenberg’s Crash (1996)
Crash turns twenty years old this year. Even today David Cronenberg’s controversial adaptation of JG Ballard’s equally controversial novel feels like an earth-shattering breakthrough in depicting sex in movies. Sex can be weird, kinky, scary, confusing, touching, hilarious, experimental, awkward, … Continue reading
Zardoz (1974)
John Boorman cashed his Deliverance cheque to make…this? To clarify: that’s not a dig at the Zardoz‘s quality but more a reaction to Boorman’s sheer audacity. After a planned adaptation of Lord of the Rings fell through, Boorman poured all … Continue reading
Posted in Arrow Films, Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Charlotte Rampling, John Boorman, Sean Connery, Zardoz
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The Last House on Dead End Street (1973)
A grotty hellmouth of a movie. Almost hallucinogenic in the way everything just bleeds and blends together. The shoddy sound, the grainy film stock, the grimy nudity and snuff violence – it all stews together into some weird, bargain-bin acid … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Roger Watkins, The Last House on Dead End Street
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Drinking Buddies (2013)
While digging through Joe Swanberg’s filmography, I’m trying as best I can to alternate between the early stuff and the modern stuff, availability permitting. I should have seen Drinking Buddies a lot earlier. It’s his breakthrough film in many ways, … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Anna Kendrick, Drinking Buddies, Jake Johnson, Joe Swanberg, Olivia Wilde, Ron Livingstone
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Polytechnique (2009)
I always find pre-Deakins Villenueve quite lacking. Polytechnique is a harrowing idea for a movie and there are a number of sequences which really work. The opening scene, for example, pins you to your seat and with it’s sudden burst … Continue reading
"This Film Should Be Played Loud" 