Category Archives: Reviews

Disorder (1986)

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Ross Birks

Assayas’ feel for this era and his fondness for the music activates every deliberate frame. The steely, blue-tinged photography makes the whole thing feel metallic and cold yet the performances, notably that of the actresses, gives it a pulse. Quite … Continue reading →

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Trapped Alive (1988)

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Ross Birks

One of those 80’s slasher Frankensteins which feels like a montage of scenes from other movies, just re-cast and re-shot for a quick VHS payout. Still, there’s enough disjointed what-the-fuckery to make it a worthy film of its kind, now … Continue reading →

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Track 29 (1988)

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Ross Birks

One of Roeg’s greatest gifts, and also, occasionally, his crux, is how he can make even simplicity seem complex. The story and goings on of Track 29 would barely fill a paragraph in a standard film review when broken down into a … Continue reading →

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Detour (1945)

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Ross Birks

A seminal fleapit noir that feels like it was found in an ashtray among cigarette stubs smeared with lipstick stains. Lots of textbook frugal mastery here with an excess of voice over, shaky opticals, rear projection – basically every trick … Continue reading →

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Poltergeist (1982)

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Ross Birks

I didn’t think much to Poltergeist when I first saw it a few years back. I figured I’d simply arrived too late for its imagery and shock-tactics to have full impact. The fact it was awkwardly stuck between the two extremes of … Continue reading →

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Out of Blue (2019)

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Ross Birks

An initially perplexing mind-meld of pulp genre and heady concepts that eventually coalesces into something truly unique. I’m a big fan of Carol Morley’s previous two films, Dreams of Life and The Falling, and this continues her notion of attacking both genre and … Continue reading →

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The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970)

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Ross Birks

A textbook Ernesto Gastaldi-penned, pre-Argento giallo being that it is far more interested in mystery, intrigue and eroticism than poking your eyeballs out with visceral murder set-pieces. It’s still somewhat kinky though, with lead beauty Dagmar Lassander getting embroiled with … Continue reading →

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The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Ross Birks

Anyone unfamiliar with Vincent Ward – perhaps best known as the initial director for Alien 3 – do yourself a favour and check out his first film Vigil; one of the muddiest, psychotronic art-dirges I’ve seen. The Navigator is his follow-up, which is equally tactile … Continue reading →

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Body Double (1984)

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Ross Birks

With every rewatch (and there have been many) Body Double inches closer and closer to being my favourite De Palma movie. Maybe it’s because this is very much a Greatest Hits collection, combining and elaborating on all of De Palma’s obsessions, desires, … Continue reading →

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Top of the Lake: China Girl (2017)

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Ross Birks

Messier, darker, stranger than season one. Less concise and coherent but full of unforgettable images, askew characterisation and observations. Campion really leans into her instincts as sardonic dreamweaver this time around. There are a bunch of grotesque leaps in narrative … Continue reading →

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