Not long ago, I reviewed Specimens (1982), one of the best of the films made by Irish amateur filmmaker, Roy Spence, who works out of the cinema he owns in Comer, County Down. He’s made over forty films over his fifty year career, and you can find all of them in The Irish Film Archive. You […]
Read more "The Attack of the Saucer People (1981)"What exactly makes someone a cult filmmaker? Let’s face it, the whole question of what makes a film a cult film is poorly defined — and I really don’t see that it is possible to come up with a really good definition. After all, I’ve seen the label slapped on a lot of filmmakers and […]
Read more "Atlantis (1991)"The great part about the endless search for new science fiction films is that one day you stumble across a film you’ve never heard of, and the next you’ve suddenly discovered a whole new vein of fascinating films, and perhaps even discovered a pivotal creator who should be hailed as one of the greats. And […]
Read more "Aelita (1980)"Sometimes you have to relax for a few minutes and just have fun. Consider today’s film, an animated short film by Walerian Borowczyk. Yes, it was made in France, and has been labeled “experimental” or “arty.” But that doesn’t change the fact that it is an amusing little bit of comic storytelling with no greater […]
Read more "Les astronautes (1959)"It’s only a step from “it was inevitable” to “you’ve got to be kidding!” Now those of you who lived through the Eighties can probably remember how, a decade later, several popular horror franchises suddenly moved their latest movies into outer space. Critters may have been the first, but such unlikely franchises as Leprechaun, Friday The […]
Read more "Amityville in Space (2022)"Recently, I’ve reviewed two movies by one of my favorites of the younger generation of Japanese anime directors, Mamoru Hosada. So it seems inevitable that I would also catch up with a film by yet another talented young Anime director, one of the best of the group often referred to as “the next Miyazaki” — […]
Read more "Ai no utagoe o kikasete [Sing a Bit of Harmony] (2021)"(aka, Invasion of the Mindbenders, Alien High) All right, I admit it. The biggest question I have when it comes to Canadian films from the Eighties is “How in the world did this get made?” Now, I’ll admit that my point of view probably reflects the fact that, yes, the distinctively Canadian films from the […]
Read more "Mind Benders (1987)"(aka, Journey to an Unknown World) Children’s films. Why are they always such a plague? You really have to wonder: it can’t be that hard to make a film that will appeal to younger audiences and at the same time not be utterly terrible. Now I suppose part of my reaction to this Brazilian children’s […]
Read more "Aventuras com Tio Maneco [Adventures with Uncle Manuelo] (1971)"Genres are more fun when you can mix and match them. Consider Attack of the Unknown: we have a tough and experienced SWAT team making a major bust, only things don’t go as planned and one of their team gets killed. And, even worse, the FBI insists on taking over. But the team is given […]
Read more "Attack of the Unknown (2020)"(aka, Deep Burial, Half Life) The real star of Atomica is the Cold War nuclear missile bunker where it was shot. It seems a particularly apropos setting as nuclear energy is a persistent theme throughout the film. A major nuclear plant disaster destroyed several cities and left the area around a devastated wasteland. But the […]
Read more "Atomica (2017)"
rivets on the poster 