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Author Archives: Ross Birks
Tropical Malady (2004)
I love how Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul tells stories. He likes to reset his narrative halfway through in order to show us a mirror story that shares characters, dialogue and scenes with the one that preceded it. When I first saw … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Tropical Malady
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Vampyr (1932)
Vampyr is one of those movies that feels like the seed for everything that came after it. Not only is this the earliest vampire movie I’ve seen (Nosferatu I’m coming for you) it’s also my first Carl Dreyer movie (applause). … Continue reading
Some Kind of Hate (2015)
Some Kind Of Hate is a very unpleasant slice of VOD horror but it’s not without it’s merits. Essentially a very bloody anti-bullying ad the film cleverly combines vengeful ghost-story with more common psycho-slasher tropes in an attempt to say … Continue reading
The Premonition (1976)
A kind-of bummer freak-out rendition of Raising Arizona featuring a pair of dysfunctional carnies who decide to kidnap their daughter back from her adoptive parents. The story ping pongs between the two mothers as they are connected with a psychic … Continue reading
Looking Ahead: The Cable Guy (1996)
The Cable Guy is an incredibly prescient comedy for 1996 that not only predicts The Internet Age but also the rise of the bromance and cruel comedies. Much was said at the time about Carrey’s mammoth paycheck but the fact … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews, Rewatch
Tagged ben stiller, Jim Carrey, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Matthew Broderick, Owen Wilson, The Cable Guy
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Birdemic (2010)
James Nguyun wanted to make a film. He didn’t have a lot of money. He didn’t have good actors. He didn’t have a good script. He made a film anyway. The film is bad. The filmmaking is incompetent. The special … Continue reading
The Witch Who Came From the Sea (1976)
After the disappointing Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood, Arrow Video’s American Horror Project finally delivers the goods. The Witch Who Came from the Sea is a gem. It’s a complex movie. Shockingly so. The sexual abuse of a child is central … Continue reading
Posted in Arrow Films, Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Millie Perkins, The Witch Who Came From the Sea
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L’Eclisse (1962)
The finale of Antonioni’s unofficial disconnect trilogy (preceded by L’Avventura and La Notte) is something I’ve been working towards for a few years now. I first had my interest piqued in these movies by Antonioni’s dominance in Scorsese’s My Voyage … Continue reading
Posted in Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Alain Delon, L'Eclisse, Michelangelo Antonioni, Monica Vitti
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Kissing on the Mouth (2005)
An early entry in the mumblecore movement, Joe Swanberg’s Kissing on the Mouth is a raw, amateur and occasionally engrossing document of early-twenties aimlessness. Sure the production quality is shitty as hell but one of the core values of true … Continue reading
Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood (1973)
The first entry in Arrow video’s American Horror Project is a film I would have never heard of or seen otherwise. In all honesty Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood is a bag of shit. Even at a meager 74 minutes I … Continue reading
Posted in Arrow Films, Movies Watched In 2016, Reviews
Tagged Malatesta's Carnival of Blood
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"This Film Should Be Played Loud" 