Category Archives: Reviews

Rocky IV (1985)

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Ross Birks

Stallone never really gets his due as a filmmaker. Anyone who believes in the auteur theory could make a serious case for Stallone just by looking at the Rockyseries. I love these movies because of how he utilised them to reflect … Continue reading →

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Singles (1992)

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Ross Birks

Probably Cameron Crowe’s lightest film (during his “on” period at least) in terms of content but the snapshot – or “single” as opposed to “album” – presentation makes it pleasingly episodic and breezy. It’s essentially a collection of vignettes, each … Continue reading →

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Darkman (1990)

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Ross Birks

Essentially a dry-run for a lot of ideas Raimi would retool for his Spider-Mantrilogy, but considered on its own terms – as a 1990 made-for-screen comic book movie – Darkman is a fun little curio. Green-lit and released hot on the heels of … Continue reading →

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Raising Cain (1991)

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Ross Birks

DIRECTOR’S CUT A fascinating re-assembly that restores De Palma’s original structure before he got cold feet and made it more linear to avoid confusion amongst audiences. I rewatched the theatrical version just before this and, for anyone savvy to De … Continue reading →

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The Matrix (1999)

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Ross Birks

“I know you’re out there. I can feel you now. I know that you’re afraid. You’re afraid of us. You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to … Continue reading →

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Tale of Tales (2016)

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Ross Birks

It’s easy to get lost in this movie for the initial stretch because of the gorgeous world-building and visuals. There’s a barrage of heightened, fantasy imagery shot like grotesque pastels. It’s a storybook reality and one of the best I’ve … Continue reading →

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Hell or High Water (2016)

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Ross Birks

The film’s quiet greatness is way more potent upon rewatch. So much to chew on here. The slow-burning sense of the inevitable that looms over everything is really something. It’s not exactly dread, it’s sadder than that, more human. There are car … Continue reading →

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The Box (2009)

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Ross Birks

“I like mystery. Don’t you?” Man, seven years have done The Box a lot of favours. It’s jumped up at least two stars since I first saw it and watching it today, in 2016, every weird and puzzling little flourish feels less … Continue reading →

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The Aviator (2004)

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Ross Birks

Has the bones of generic biopic but is made even stronger by Scorsese and screenwriter John Logan’s decision not to tell the full Howard Hughes story, but a very specific chunk. DiCaprio’s performance is gargantuan as is the electrifying filmmaking from Scorsese. … Continue reading →

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Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Ross Birks

“It’s a siege. It’s a goddamn siege!” About as close to perfect as low-budget, economic genre filmmaking can get. Carpenter’s spartan, precise camera glides around capturing glorious PanaVision compositions. This is still early Carpenter and you can feel him finding … Continue reading →

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