Ravenous (1999)

As an allegory for the United States of America, Ravenous is so fucking perfect that it needed to be a comedy. The idea of imagining early Americans as cannibals granted supernatural powers by feasting on human flesh – the extrapolation to the modern day left to one’s imagination – would’ve been hard to stomach played…

Results (2015)

Results is a conscious step towards the mainstream for director Andrew Bujalski, who cut his teeth on indie “mumblecore” features like Funny Ha Ha before wowing critics [who are not me] with 2013’s eccentric, experimental Computer Chess. This is decidedly more conventional fare – with recognisable actors (Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan) in a…

(2001) Memento: Cut Extended

It’s August, 2013 and I’m watching Memento for the seventh time. Next to me is my partner’s sister. We’re about fifteen minutes into the film, and she comments, “Oh, so it’s like it’s running backwards?” It’s funny how the context surrounding a film can change. Back when Memento was first released, it was “the backwards…

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark is a tricky character to write for. He’s entertaining, charming and quick-witted but he’s also – it must be said – a total jerk. To stay on his side for the length of a feature film, he needs to have real challenges to face – with the proviso that, ultimately,…