Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles is widely considered to be a comedy classic. So I’m reluctant to say it but… what if it isn’t really all that funny?

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The dysfunctional family comedy-drama has become something of a staple for indie American films over the last decade. With his fifth film, Noah Baumbach delves into familiar territory once again. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I mean, come on. Once you’ve forked out the necessary cash to walk through the cinema doors, or even to walk out of the video store with your copy of Resident Evil: Extinction tucked firmly under your arm, what do you expect? Subtle characterisation? A devilishly intricate plot? Of course not - you expect lots of blood, lots of gore, and lots of slow motion fighting. In which case, this film won’t disappoint you. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite the fact that he tackles his craft with tongue planted firmly in cheek, Robert Rodriguez may go down in film history as the greatest B-movie director of all time. Planet Terror is Rodriguez’ half of the Grindhouse double feature joint project with Quentin Tarantino. Although Tarantino’s effort, Death Proof, was great, it begins to look almost trivial in comparison to this instant schlock classic.

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Hardly a stranger to controversy, DH Lawrence really went to town on some of society’s more sensitive aspects with his largely unheralded later work, The Plumed Serpent. Mixing blasphemy, violence, sensuality and issues of race and gender with a sneering contempt for both developed and third world contemporary cultures, it’s an explosive work even for today’s readers. For the folks back in 1926, it must have seemed an utterly alien piece of literature, which probably helps explain why it was considered a critical failure at the time. Read the rest of this entry »

Just how much should a mystery film tie up all the loose ends for us? The traditional view is that a mystery with no resolution is not much of a film at all. But surely there can be more to a film than that. (WARNING: This post contains plot spoilers). Read the rest of this entry »

The X Files was a fine television show for its time. A feature film seemed a great idea, and all the quality we have come to expect from the show has been transferred successfully into the new format. The only problem is, film is bigger than TV. What we are left with is a fine episode of The X Files the TV show thrown onto a big screen. Mulder and Scully are left to run around in a world of suddenly expanded possibility, but the film makers fail to scale the concept up to fulfil the potential that it brings. Read the rest of this entry »