Hard Times (1975)

On a Walter Hill kick, I revisited his directorial debut, Hard Times (1975; aka The Streetfighter), which I remember as being very decent and on rewatch, remains very decent. Set in Depression-era New Orleans, Chainey (Charles Bronson) steps off the train looking for work. Coming across a bare-knuckled boxing match in a warehouse, Chainey throws […]

The Last Of Sheila (1973)

When Rian Johnson was doing the press rounds for Knives Out and discussing “Whodunnit” influences, one title he would offer, which I’d never even heard of before, was The Last Of Sheila (1973). It has the distinction of being written by actor Anthony Perkins and musical composer Stephen Sondheim, and apparently based on Sondheim’s love […]

Nowhere To Run (1993)

I always thought Nowhere To Run (1993) was later in Jean-Claude Van Damme’s career but it was inbetween Universal Soldier and Hard Target (maybe my favourite all time JCVD film). I can imagine Van Damme saying about Nowhere To Run at the time: “This is a real movie with a human story with emotions”. As […]

The Gleaners And I (1999)

Late one Sunday evening, dreading work the next day and coming off a fading headache, I browsed around for half an hour thinking about what to watch, not interested in dramatics or action, and eventually felt despondent. Then on a whim, I thought I’d watch something by Agnes Varda and picked The Gleaners And I […]

Sound Of Metal (2019)

Every time I watched the trailer for Sound Of Metal (2019), I would just well up and want to cry. There’s something about Riz Ahmed as a performer and the vulnerability he expresses in this role. He plays a noise metal drummer Rueben Stone in a touring band with his partner, vocalist/guitarist Lou (Olivia Cook). […]