Blind Spot: A Clockwork Orange

Posted on June 10, 2016 by jaycluitt

In a semi-dystopian future London, Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his gangs of droogs (James Marcus, Warren Clarke and Michael Tarn) spend their nights terrorising the town, fighting with other gangs, beating up drunks and breaking into people’s houses, stealing valuables, and crippling and raping the inhabitants. When the gang turns against their leader, Alex is left injured at the scene of his latest crime and is sentenced to prison, wherein he attempts a new form of treatment set to “reprogram” him against his former behaviour.
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Cat People (1982) for the Cinematic Katzenjammer’s Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap

Posted on December 31, 2013 by jaycluitt

This review was written, as you may guess from the post’s heading, for the Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap over at the Cinematic Katzenjammer, or CineKatz, as run by Nick Powell. It’s a fairly simple yet great idea – you submit a film for some random person to review, and in return you receive one back. I signed up (and gifted Andrew from Go See Talk with Starter for 10, a movie I adore but which is criminally underseen even in the UK), thinking that I’d receive something outside of my wheelhouse, that would potentially expand my movie viewing experience, or even better, get something already on one of my lists that would provide a little extra motivation to cross it off a bit sooner. Instead, I received a schlocky 80s remake of a 40s horror that I didn’t much care for in the first place. So yes, it technically was an off-my-radar selection, but maybe it wasn’t on my radar for a few good reasons. Continue reading →

The Artist

Posted on January 18, 2012 by jaycluitt

That’s right! I’ve been to the cinema twice in 5 days! Haven’t done that since I was single! Anyway, I managed to convince Aisha to come with me to see the Artist, the modern made silent film about the birth of the ‘talkies’, currently bothering awards ceremonies and set to win big at the Oscars next month. The film was excellent; it didn’t overplay the silent gimmick, even using it for some well timed and perfectly executed comic beats, and the performances were flawless, especially from leads Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, and the adorable dog Uggie.

The plot was a tad predictable, concerning Dujardin’s silent movie star losing his way amid the encroaching sound-laden future, whilst Bejo’s struggling extra finds spoken dialogue could lead to a promising career, but then the plots of silent movies often were, especially by today’s standards, where 99% of stories are entirely made from previous pictures. The supporting cast of well known or know-the-face actors, including John Goodman, James Cromwell, Missi Pyle and Malcolm MacDowell, was a little off putting, as many had wordless roles I was waiting to crop up again, but other than that this was a near perfect film that’s my current frontrunner for best picture.

Choose film 9/10