Blackmail Is My Life

In the 1960s, Kinji Fukasaku was the Japanese equivalent of Sam Fuller. He cut a violent swath of gangster films that were garish mini-masterpieces of the B-movie variety. Among them was Blackmail Is My Life (1968), a scathing, two-fisted attack on corruption... 

Under the Tuscan Sun

From her screenplay for The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996) to her directorial debut with Guinevere (1999), Audrey Wells has created films with strong female protagonists. She continues this thematic preoccupation with Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) with... 

Out for a Kill

Now I enjoy bad movies, I’m a veritable connoisseur of them. Which is why I have all of Steven Seagal’s films either on video, DVD or Laserdisc – many of them all three formats! Even I though, have to admit that lately Seagal’s... 

Salvatore Giuliano

Famous outlaw Salvatore Giuliano was found dead in a courtyard in Montelepre, Italy in July 1950. He was mysteriously shot and killed, the details of which are embroiled in controversy. Francesco Rosi’s film flashes back to the early 1940s to show Italy’s... 

Buffalo Soldiers

Buffalo Soldiers (2001) had the misfortune of being scheduled to come out in theatres the day after 9/11. Miramax, understandably nervous about releasing a black comedy about the U.S. Army so close after such a devastating event, shelved the film for... 

Demonlover

Film critic turned filmmaker, Olivier Assayas’ latest effort is Demonlover (2002), a sleek, near-future corporate espionage thriller. At times, with its labyrinthine plotting and abstract imagery, it resembles something from the mind of David Lynch... 

Ned Kelly

A legend in Australia, Ned Kelly was the most infamous outlaw of the 19th Century, so it’s no surprise this is the fifth screen outing for him and the Kelly Gang. There’s a scene in the 1993 film ‘Reckless Kelly’ where Yahoo Serious... 

Pickup on South Street

In the booklet that accompanies this DVD, Martin Scorsese writes, “if you don’t like the films of Sam Fuller, then you just don’t like cinema. Or at least you don’t understand it.” It’s a bold statement—one that sums up the attitude... 

The Order

The resurgence of religious horror films in the late ‘90s produced a lackluster crop. From End of Days (1999) to Stigmata (1999) this sub-genre has been unpopular with both audiences and critics. End of Days took the Hollywood action film sensibility...