It was with a mild feeling of apprehension that I recently sat down to watch Ang Lee’s 1993 film ‘The Wedding Banquet’. The reason for the apprehension was that it was a film that I’d seen at the cinema on it’s release, and which I’d absolutely loved. I loved it so much, in fact, that [...]
All posts in category Film
The Wedding Banquet – Ang Lee
Posted by davidbarb on October 10, 2011
http://thelockedroom.com/2011/10/10/the-wedding-banquet-ang-lee/
Two by Argento…
The Card Player & Mother of Tears Dario Argento remains one of the most famous and iconic horror directors of all time. During the 70s and 80s he made some truly idiosyncratic and influential horror films, from the giallo thrillers of Profondo Rosso and Tenebrae to the supernatural horrors of Suspiria, Inferno and Phenomena. Perhaps never [...]
Posted by davidbarb on June 28, 2011
http://thelockedroom.com/2011/06/28/two-by-argento/
Lady Chatterley
I write about a lot of genre/horror films on here, so how about something a bit different. Pascale Ferran’s 2006 film, Lady Chatterley is a French adaptation of Lawrence’s famous tale, and it’s a highly engaging, well-crafted, subtle and moving film. It’s not actually based on Lady Chatterley’s Lover, but on a lesser known, earlier [...]
Posted by davidbarb on September 14, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/09/14/lady-chatterley/
Pontypool
For fans of cerebral horror, looking for something different from the usual hackneyed scares of most contemporary horror, then the peculiarly titled Pontypool is something of a treat. Marketed as a ‘zombie film’, it isn’t a conventional zombie film, or indeed horror film, at all; if you approach it expecting gross out zombie horror or [...]
Posted by davidbarb on August 21, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/08/21/pontypool/
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – The Film
As I’m a huge lover of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series of novels, it was inevitable that I would watch this movie adaptation of the first book in the trilogy. I was curious to see how the characters of Blomkvist and Salander would be brought to life on screen, and whether or not the film would [...]
Posted by davidbarb on August 7, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/08/07/man-som-hatar-kvinnor-the-movie/
Exhibit:A
Exhibit:A is a 2007 British film from writer/director Dom Rotheroe that charts a family’s disintegration and ultimate implosion under the weight of accumulating financial pressures. It’s an effective and grim film that I think is well written, well directed, well acted, and I think it’s a good example of how to make an interesting, relevant film [...]
Posted by davidbarb on July 26, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/07/26/exhibita/
Survival of the Dead
The tag-line on the poster of ‘Survival of the Dead’ says, ‘Death Isn’t What It Used To Be’. Well, sadly (very sadly) it is also true that George Romero zombie movies are not what they used to be. Following on from ‘Diary of the Dead’, ‘Survival…’ is another low-budget, independently produced movie that features a [...]
Posted by davidbarb on March 22, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/03/22/survival-of-the-dead/
Thirst – Park Chan-Wook
Vampires are very much in vogue at the moment. From the adolescent appeal of the Twilight and Vampire Diaries books and movies, to the hugely enjoyable HBO series True Blood, and the astonishing art-house/horror hybrid movie Let The Right One In, vampires are everywhere, reimagined for the modern age in myriad forms. But cast aside [...]
Posted by davidbarb on March 21, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/03/21/thirst-park-chan-wook/
Cinema Blues…
Earlier I read this entry on Julian Simpson’s blog, about the sorry state of the cinema industry and the often unsatisfactory experience of watching a movie at the cinema. It struck a chord with me, and for a long time I have thought that the model of releasing movies first in the cinema and then [...]
Posted by davidbarb on January 22, 2010
http://thelockedroom.com/2010/01/22/cinema-blues/
