Born In Flames (1983)

File this under “Why didn’t I watch this earlier?” and “This is as great as they say…” Maybe I thought that a film about activism would be a bit like homework. Directed by Lizzie Borden, Born In Flames (1983) captures a moment of time – 1980s New York, in the No Wave era – but […]

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 […]

Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)

“The one thing I can’t bear now is atmospheres. I can come into a room full of people and I can tell you who’s had the row. I always say: if I’ve upset you, just come out with it. If you cold-shoulder me, I instantly see him [my father] sitting in the corner of the […]

Christmas Evil (1980)

Christmas Evil (1980) is John Waters’ favourite Christmas movie. It’s easy to see why, as the film’s New Jersey suburban setting is not far away from the Baltimore depicted in Waters’ films: there’s something miserable mixed within the campiness. Christmas Evil is less of a slasher than Silent Night Deadly Night, more of a cross […]

Sweet Home (1989)

As a Japanese horror movie, Sweet Home (1989) has a cult following because it was released with a tie-in horror computer game from Capcom, which became the inspiration for the original Resident Evil video game. As an entry in director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s filmography, it’s different to the disturbing, eerie horror movies that would make his […]