It Follows (2014)

When It Follows (2014) concluded, “elegant” was the word that came to mind. There’s a certain dreamy mood to writer-director David Robert Mitchell’s film, which comes through in the colours, costuming, framing, and staging. It’s almost as if Sofia Coppola Virgin Suicides era had made a horror film. The initial yearning of protagonist Jay (Maika […]

The Guest (2014)

There’s a knowingness that propels The Guest (2014) into a delightful combination of humour and tension. Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (the team behind You’re Next) establish patience with their set-up: a soldier, David (Dan Stevens), turns up on the doorstep of a grieving family whose dead son he served with in the military. Straight […]

Prime Cut (1972)

At under 90 minutes running time, Prime Cut (1972) is efficient and taut like its mob enforcer protagonist Nick (Lee Marvin, another great role as a measured tough). Yet there’s also an original streak of perverse humour throughout, more than likely helped by director Michael Ritchie (who’d go on to specialise further in comedy with classics like The […]

Border (2018)

Winner of Un Certain Regard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, the Swedish film Border (2018; Gräns) might also take the crown for weirdest sex scene in a movie. Directed by Ali Abbasi and based on a story written by John Ajvide Lindqvist, the author of Let The Right One In, which gives an indication […]

Night And The City (1950)

Directed by Jules Dassin and shot on location in London, Night And The City (1950) has the iconic look of the film noir genre down pat. From the chiaroscuro lighting of faces in close up to the placement of a suited individual against a dark cityscape, Max Greene’s cinematography is brilliant. The film is also […]