Action USA (1989)

Discovered, restored and released by Alamo Drafthouse, Action USA is a late 1980s low budget stunt fest that screened as part of this year’s Monster Fest. While not matching the giddy heights of a previous Drafthouse hidden VHS gem like Miami Connection, this is still a fun ride. Right from the opening scene of a […]

Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971)

I do like the exchange between monthly Criterion Channel programming and people I follow on Letterboxd tending to watch the same stuff, like a slowly crawling communal experience. I’d heard the title Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971) but didn’t really have any idea what it was like, assuming it was a tongue in cheek […]

Dogs In Space (1986)

People have always recommended Dogs In Space (1986) to me and I know for many people it means a lot to them, representing a time and place, the post-punk sub-culture of Melbourne in the late 1970s. It’s also a key cult text in Australian cinema, director Richard Lowenstein bringing one of the biggest rock stars […]

The State Of Things (1982)

I’ve always been curious about The State Of Things (1982; Der Stand der Dinge), a black-and-white movie Wim Wenders directed after his German road movie trilogy. I didn’t realise it was actually something he made while he was on a break having a tough time filming the detective movie Hammett (based on Dashiell Hammett) in […]

The Work (2017)

The Work (2017) is a documentary about a therapy program at Folsom Prison called Inside Circle, which focuses on those who are incarcerated. For a four day workshop, non-prisoners are invited to volunteer their time and participate in the treatment. Following three free men who have agreed to be part of Inside Circle, the film […]