‘Marco Polo’ or — Better Than ‘Lawrence of Arabia’?‘Marco Polo’ (1975) is a historical epic concerning the famous merchant/explorer’s time as an advisor to the court of Kublai Khan. Now if…7h ago7h ago
‘You’ll Never Get Rich’ or — (Im)Propaganda?I was deeply concerned settling down to watch ‘You’ll Never Get Rich’ (1941) last night that I wouldn’t be able to resist comparing it to…1d ago1d ago
‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ or — Beyond Good and Evil?‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ (1952) isn’t a film. It’s a dazzling God appearing before us and removing the scales from our eyes so we fall…Dec 5Dec 5
‘Black Tuesday’ or — A Crescendo of Death?It opens with a low angle shot of prisoners on death row awaiting execution as an inmate mournfully sings the blues. “I’ve got this movie…Dec 3Dec 3
‘Slap the Monster on Page One’ or — Analysing the Propaganda Model?A young woman has been murdered on the outskirts of Milan, but Marco Bellochio’s ‘Slap the Monster on Page One’ (1972) appears not to give…Nov 29Nov 29
‘Return of the One-Armed Swordsman’ or — Now THAT’S a Sequel!?‘The One-Armed Swordsman’ (1967) tells the story of Fang Kang (Jimmy Wang) who accidentally gets his right arm lobbed off one day by the…Nov 28Nov 28
‘Oklahoma’ or — Psychedelic Psychopathology?“Oh, what a beautiful mornin’!” Curly McLain (Gordon McRae) bellows as he rides along with a massive grin on his face. Yes, we can see…Nov 20Nov 20
‘Gladiator II’ or — Return of the Wheat/Soil Groper?In ‘Gladiator II’ (2024) some guy we don’t give a toss about sees his wife killed by the Romans. This, not surprisingly, makes him a bit…Nov 17Nov 17
‘Red One’ or — Santa ‘Baws’?“Sweet Jesus Christ,” I groaned to myself halfway through ‘Red One’ (2024) this morning. “I haven’t been this bored since the last time I…Nov 8Nov 8
‘The Roaring Twenties’ or — Can You Keep Up?‘The Roaring Twenties’ (1939) opens with one of the most concise and concentrated introductions to three individuals and their different…Nov 7Nov 7
