Author Archives: Ross Birks

A hot-blooded and incredibly lurid splash-page of medieval fantasy imagery and slick filmmaking. This one genuinely took me by surprise by how wet (bloody) and wild it was willing to get. Zemeckis’ knack for fluid camerawork and VFX gymnastics is … Continue reading →

Even after acknowledging the fact that this was taken out of his hands and severely re-shot and re-edited, it’s hard to spot any traces of Ti West in this thing. I tried to see through the edits and assemble an … Continue reading →

WOW. One of the most cinematically stimulating and erotic movies I’ve ever seen. Has a graphic quality and grasp of cinematic language and technique that just sends my heart racing. It reminded me of the first time I saw Point Blank (one … Continue reading →

I can’t remember the last time I saw a horror movie set in the woods that actually made the environment feel so oppressive and evocative. The Ritual is certainly the first since The Blair Witch Project to make me dread stepping foot in a … Continue reading →

The way this overlays a multitude of spooky stories and ideas together like weaving a tapestry is a clever way of tackling the horror anthology format. Where traditionally structured examples – one short followed by another – can soon feel … Continue reading →

This really hasn’t aged particularly well and increasingly feels like less of an original horror vision* than a gleeful mash-up of every horror movie Eli Roth loved in his teens. There’s very little finesse here. The stupid excess of homophobic … Continue reading →

A solid thriller first and foremost but the calibre of talent involved can’t help but heighten Marathon Man into something far more captivating. Schlesinger is all over this. The performances are imbued with the kind of subtle details he always managed to … Continue reading →

I felt pretty indifferent towards Pesce’s Eyes of My Mother and I’m about at the same place with this. I do like that it’s a complete 180 from that film visually and has more of an explicit, perverse sense of humour, plus … Continue reading →

“Please. Man up. Save us some pain” An efficient and sturdy bottled-noir that is locked and loaded with an impressive array of character actors who have just been waiting for the opportunity to get their hands on a showcase piece … Continue reading →