Author Archives: Ross Birks

A lot shaggier and lived in that I would expect from a Happy Madison joint. This forgoes the temptation to be mindlessly broad and gross-out most of the time, instead staging a character comedy of duelling families – one jewish, … Continue reading →

Cute effort from Hallie Meyers-Shyer who can’t help but remind you at every turn that she is absolutely her parents’ daughter, though parts of this seem to be enacting a fantasy imagining what life would be like if she was … Continue reading →

I much prefer Yorgos when he’s working from within his own demented imagination – this is very much a director-for-hire job, though as far as career moves go you could certainly do a lot worse – but I’m nonetheless impressed … Continue reading →

I love how golden and warm this feels. The filmic equivalent of wood crackling in a fire. Lowery submits to Redford’s charm and legacy, creating a swan-song for him that is apt if slightly pandering. It’s refreshing to see a … Continue reading →

Was not expecting this to be so perverse and uncomfortable but Maggie Gyllenhaal’s performance – embodying the kind of strange and troubling yet utterly fascinating woman she has revisited throughout her career – is wholly riveting. Sara Colangelo’s vision of … Continue reading →

It’s unusual for a film from the low-budget realm, especially of the horror/comedy variety, to have such an ambitious and silly high-concept. Like, you could make a pretty nuts n’ bolts slasher movie set in a shopping centre with the … Continue reading →

Somebody just hook these Shaw bros. movies up to my veins like an IV drip. Mighty Peking Man is man-in-rubber-suit nirvana. Blatantly pillaging plot and set-pieces from King Kong, Tarazan, Godzilla and any other lucrative property that made money in the West, the film still feels … Continue reading →