DVD & VOD

By Emma Siverthorn @HouseOf_Gazelle From its opaque start through to its ambiguous denouncement Robin Campillo's Eastern Boys is a brilliantly complex exploration of power dynamics. In the opening scenes, the Eastern Boys, (hailing from the Ukraine, Russia and Romania), roam the Gare Du Nord, their purpose and intention unclear but their sense of pack protection obvious. Yet as the film progresses this sense of immigrant solidarity quickly darkens and shifts to something more akin to captivity than camaraderie. The leader...

By Sam Inglis @24fpsuk  David Cronenberg used to have a lot of nicknames; Dave Deprave, the Baron of Blood, the King of Venereal Horror. These have been used less and less as his work has, especially in the last two decades, become more outwardly cerebral, but even in his goriest work Cronenberg was always a thoughtful filmmaker, and that's certainly something you can see in Rabid. As the film opens Rose (Marilyn Chambers) and her boyfriend Hart (Frank Moore) are...

By Sam Inglis @24fpsUK When we think of sci-fi in cinema we tend to think of spectacle; expensive tentpole movies that throw us into unfamilliar, often futuristic, worlds. There's a place for that, but recently the American independent scene has been turning its attentions to small scale science fiction, often to great effect. Coherence is set at a dinner party where eight friends are getting together for the first time in a while. A comet is passing over during the...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel  thefinalreel.co.uk The premise at the heart of Snow in Paradise, director Andrew Hulme’s debut film, is an intriguing one. Based loosely on the life of Martin Askew who broke out of crime by converting to Islam (he also co-writes and stars as Uncle Jimmy here), the film follows Dave (Frederick Schmidt), a petty criminal in London who turns to Islam after his actions create irreversible consequences. Hulme, having racked up a good two decades of experience...

By Miles Jackson David Fincher’s latest, an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel, switches genres about three times during its runtime between riveting mystery thriller, sociopolitical satire and psychosexual black comedy, occasionally juggling all three of these at once. Much like its subject matter - marriage - the film is a complicated, messy affair, hurling between vastly different viewpoints, allegiances swapping every minute. At times, it’s raucous, at others, it’s soul-crushing. The film flitters between two different perspectives - Ben...

By Emma Silverthorn @HouseOf_Gazelle Daniel Ribeiro’s acutely observed coming of age tale The Way He Looks is a tender-hearted and convincing portrait of this classic genre, with the added twist that it’s also a coming out tale. Sao Paulo based Leonardo is an unusual teenager, only listening to classical music, avoiding parties and having just one very, close female friend. However, like most teenagers, Leonardo craves more independence than his parents are willing to give, his burgeoning desire for autonomy...

By Sam Inglis @24FPSUK  @24fps.co.uk  Lourdes, Jessica Hausner's third film, was my film of the year in 2010. Austere and thought provoking, it can be read in many different ways, and continues to fascinate and challenge with every viewing. This, quite apart from everything else about it, is why Amour Fou is such a massive disappointment. Set in 1811, Amour Fou takes place in what appears to be an upper middle class home. where Henriette (Birte Schnoeink) and her husband...

By Clarisse Loughrey  @Clarisselou  The cultural consensus has been slowly letting the bar drop on rom-coms for years now. In some strange parallel to Two Night Stand’s own recently dumped lead, whose all-consuming sexual frustration leads her to pursue the very first dude who doesn’t reply to her online dating messages with “sup girl?”, the very existence of a rom-com which doesn’t come across as outwardly offensive to our core ideals somehow feels like a cinematic triumph. That is to...

By Sam Inglis  @24FPSUK  24fps.org.uk I never met my great grandfather, he died some years before I was born, but watching I'm Alright Jack I wished I could have seen it or at least discussed it with him, because I'm sure it would have struck a chord with him. In some ways it did with me, but in other ways it has definitely become dated over the 56 years since its release. Set in the early 50's, before Britain had...