Director: Kevin Brownlow PG | 1h 33min | Drama, Fantasy, War | 12 May 1966 (UK) Screening at the BFI 23 July and out now on remastered bluray This week the Smoke Screen caught a special BFI re-release of the chilling and provocative counterfactual WWII Brit thriller It Happened Here, the work of director Kevin […]
UK Jewish Film Festival 2016 review: The Small World of Sammy Lee
Director: Ken Hughes X | 1h 47min | Drama | April 1963 (UK) Playing during the UK Jewish Film Festival 2016 at JW3 on 15 NOV 6.30pm. See here for bluray details – out from 14 November. RATING: ★★★★☆ Playing as part of the UK Jewish FIlm Festival 2016, and now remastered for a new […]
Film Review (Home Video): James White
Director: Josh Mond 18, 84 mins, 29 February UK (VOD/DVD release) RATING: ★★★☆☆ Out now on VOD and DVD, James White is the debut film of writer/director Josh Mond, who was the producer of Simon Killer and Martha Marcy May Marlene. That is not a bad filmmaking pedigree, and James White bears a great of […]
Film Review (Home Video): The American Horror Project: Volume 1
Out from 22 Feb 2016 UK Order American Horror Project Vol 1 in the UK Those purveyors of fine re-releases of yesterday’s forgotten classics – Arrow Films, have outdone themselves again with this new collection: The American Horror Project Vol 1. The goal behind the release of this dual format Blu-ray + DVD set is […]
Film Review (DVD/Bluray): The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Director: Peter Yates Release Date: 25 January 2016 Certificate 15 | Run Time 102 minutes Genre: Crime / Drama Year| 1973| USA Label: Eureka. Buy here. Film Review: ★★★★★ It is often said about films in the gangster and crime genres that all of them glamorise criminality and criminals no matter how much filmmakers protest otherwise. Despite that, it is hard […]
Film Review (DVD/Bluray): The Ninja Trilogy
Directors| MENAHEM GOLAN | SAM FIRSTENBERG Dual Format RRP| £39.95| Release Date| 18 January 2016 Certificate| 18 Run Time| 99 / 91 / 92 min.| Martial Arts / Action / Crime Year| 1981 / 1983 / 1984. Country: USA. Language| ENGLISH. Subtitles| ENGLISH SDH (Optional) RATING (Overall Boxset:)★★★★☆ Since their heyday in the 1980s, The Cannon Studio back catalog has now grown into a retro, guilty pleasure for a […]
In honour of David Bowie, a reposted review of Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence: one of his most memorable onscreen appearances
At the time of writing this, the death of music legend (and occasional actor) David Bowie at age 69 is dominating headlines globally, and with good reason. Writers far better acquainted with his life and work should be left to write their obituaries and overview features, but this editor would like to contribute a tiny […]