Cannonball Run II, 1984. Directed by Hal Needham. Starring Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Jamie Farr, Telly Savalas, Ricardo Montalban, Shirley MacLaine, Richard Kiel, Sid Caesar, Jackie Chan, Tony Danza, Henry Silva, Alex Rocco, Abe Vigoda, Michael V. Gazzo. SYNOPSIS: The majority of the drivers from the first film […]
Blu-ray Review – The Cannonball Run (1981)
The Cannonball Run, 1981. Directed by Hal Needham. Starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Adrienne Barbeau, Jackie Chan, Peter Fonda, Jack Elam and Tara Buckman. SYNOPSIS: An illegal cross-country car race attracts an eclectic bunch of characters with their eyes on the prize, and they’ll do anything […]
Supergirl Season 1 Episode 5 Review – ‘Live Wire’
Martin Carr reviews the fifth episode of Supergirl… Something fundamental happened between episodes three and five. In light of those Paris bombings we have jumped ahead one and stumbled on ‘Live Wire’. A cohesively structured, powerhouse of an instalment, which puts Supergirl back on the map. Concerning itself with less navel gazing and more substance. […]
Gotham Season 2 Episode 10 Review – ‘The Son of Gotham’
Martin Carr reviews the tenth episode of Gotham season 2… Smirking through security glass Galavan eyed Gordon with confidence. Outside Gotham had an overcast, rain slicked heavy duty feeling. All pouring rain, slate grey sky and overbearing crane shots of pallbearers with grim expressions. Stepping up to the plate comes McKenzie. All steely eyed determination, […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – In The Crosswind (2014)
In The Crosswind, 2014. Directed by Martti Helde. Starring Ingrid Isotamm, Mirt Preegel, Laura Peterson, Tarmo Song and Einar Hillep. SYNOPSIS: In 1941, an Estonian woman and her young daughter struggle to find their way home after being deported to Siberia by the Soviet occupiers, in this dreamlike saga of survival inspired by a true […]
Gotham Season 2 Episode 9 Review – ‘A Bitter Pill To Swallow’
Martin Carr reviews the ninth episode of Gotham season 2… Things kick off this week with Tabitha Galavan in a vendetta kind of mood after big brother gets locked away. To be honest it was good seeing her do more than just inflict pain and fulfil that dominatrix role she has been lumbered with. By […]
Supergirl Season 1 Episode 4 Review – ‘How Does She Do It?’
Martin Carr reviews the fourth episode of Supergirl… Now we get that missing episode you start seeing how Supergirl has turned things round. There are motives aplenty, minimal saccharine soaked lovefests. While episode four does everything its bland predecessor fudged up in such fashion. Managing to give us intrigue, character beats and supply a long-term […]
Interview: River star Stellan Skarsgård
Paul Risker chats with River star Stellan Skarsgård… River is a series that is difficult to boil down into a simple description, on one level it is a detective, crime and mystery story that looks to feed the audience’s enduring appetite for this variety of drama. And yet beneath its surface River will be seen […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Assassin (2015)
The Assassin, 2015. Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou. Starring Qi Shu, Chen Chang and Satoshi Tsumabuki. SYNOPSIS: An assassin in 7th century China accepts a mission to kill a political leader. Arthouse martial arts is a problematic concept. On the one hand, ‘arthouse’ suggests serious, high-minded fare; on the other, ‘martial arts’ conjures up thoughts of […]
Interview: River star Adeel Akhtar
Paul Risker chats with River star Adeel Akhtar… The creative process is often spoken of in the context of a never-ending voyage of discovery, alongside which filmmaking is contextualised as a vast collaboration. For Adeel Akhtar who plays John Rivers (Stellan Skarsgård’s) straight laced partner in the BBC One mini-series River, both the learning and […]
