Mike’s Murder (1984)

We don’t see the murder. Director and writer James Bridges apparently filmed one, and it was part of the negative test screenings that forced him to re-edit and structurally rearrange Mike’s Murder (1984) before its release. The original intention with Mike’s Murder was a film that was subjective with dream sequences and flashbacks; what was […]

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, […]

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 […]

Chime (2024)

After I watched Chime (2024) at home, I started washing up dishes in the kitchen and felt a rising pressure in my head. At 45 minutes length and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Chime builds tension with no release. Obviously its short length might preclude a fuller narrative experience, more time given to understand what’s going […]