Boiling Point (1990)

Takeshi Kitano treats violence with the same structural impact as building a gag in comedy. Boiling Point (1990) veers between violence as a joke – a call back, or a punchline, like when a young kid refuses a helmet on his first motorcycle, and then cut to him sitting stunned with a bloody face – […]

A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Watching Squid Game: Season 2 and I’m observing the man in the black mask, the Frontman, thinking, “What a handsome guy.” And Sally was reading up on the actor Lee Byung-hun, listing off his credits and little bulbs were popping off in my head, “Oh right, he was in The Magnificent Seven remake, The Good, […]

Ash Is Purest White (2018)

Wanting to explore more of Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s filmography, Ash Is Purest White (2018) intrigued me because of how it appeared. In the poster and key images I’ve seen, the film is marketed as a romantic crime movie. And yet, that’s only one third of the story. While I was watching Ash Is Purest […]

Blast Of Silence (1961)

A testament to the magic of shooting without permits. New York streets alive with commotion and people. Christmas decorations, shop displays and christmas lights. All you need is a guy with a hat and a trench-coat wandering through, shot by a camera from a car coasting along beside him. Allen Baron is the writer and […]

High Heels (1991)

High Heels (1991) is like Pedro Almodóvar inviting the audience to a boutique shop to peruse and sample. Melodrama is the purpose for being there, but the pleasure lies in admiring and marvelling at all the wares: the wigs, the hairstyles, the dresses, the shoes, the gloves, the earrings. High Heels has a striking colour […]