Warning: Contains images that may be considered graphic and disturbing to some readers. VHS technology and the rise of the video store was manna from heaven, for the humble horror cinema enthusiast. The 1980s was a brilliant decade for the genre, too. Slasher movies, Italian cannibal and zombie films, splatter flicks and ghost stories upped […]
Tag: 10 Films
10 Recent Movies That Define Cinematic Cool
What makes a movie cool ? Since the rise of youth culture in the 1950s, the expression and term has been a major cultural benchmark and way of defining the value of a product. But there are always ambiguities and problems. Does it skirt the same problems as, say, “What makes a good piece of […]
The 10 Greatest French Horror Films Ever Made
Note: Contains images that may be considered graphic and disturbing to some readers. Since the beginning of the 21st century, France has been the go-to country for the latest in horror. Pushing boundaries in ways never before seen on the big screen, critics dubbed what was happening as “New French Extremism.” While not exclusively a […]
10 Extraordinary Cult Films From The 1970s
It is a universally acknowledged truth that the 1970s was the greatest decade for the movies. Okay, it’s not a universally acknowledged truth, but it should be. It was a time when Hollywood made films for grownups, and not just twelve-year-old boys, and the concept of the “cult movie” was born. The term “cult movie” […]
10 Inspirational Movies Based on True Stories
A quote attributed to Hollywood mogul, Samuel Goldwyn, goes like this: “Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.” What a crock. Movies, arguably, are at their best as a popular medium, when telling compelling stories and offering empathetic characters. Cinema might often be seen as escapist, but movies can be powerful […]
Indie Films You’ve Got to See in 2015
The first half of the year has given us a number of standout indie releases, from Thomas Vinterberg’s “Far From the Madding Crowd” to documentary’s like “The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq.” There are simply too many quality titles released during this year to highlight them all, so I’ve had to select but a fraction of these, […]
10 Best Films of 2015… So Far
For the last three years or so, I’ve felt, as both a film critic and a fan, that cinema was experiencing something of a golden period. Since 2011, there has been a rich abundance of exciting blockbusters and thought-provoking arthouse pictures. And they just kept coming. I have to admit, though, that 2015 doesn’t feel […]
10 Sensual Italian Films
Italian cinema has produced its fair share of classics over the last century. Many of these possess a strong sensual atmosphere at their core, one that is fundamental to their identity and country. The well-known names in this context include Bernardo Bertolucci’s erotic classic “Last Tango in Paris,” which had Marlon Brando as a depressed […]
10 Movies Banned for Sexually Explicit Content
Censorship boards do not like sex and yet nothing gets them more excited. Whether it’s straight, gay or fetish, there is a major discomfort with movies showing the power of sexuality and sexual acts up close and in detail. Even today, in the age of the Internet and the easy availability of online porn, arthouse […]
10 Scandinavian Movies of 2015
2015 is set to be a profitable year for Nordic and Scandinavian cinema, with films from the Northern countries making a strong show at the world’s biggest festivals, from Cannes to Tribeca. New releases from some of Scandinavian’s finest directors will be released this year, from the likes of Joachim Trier and Rúnar Rúnarsson. So in response we’ve […]