One of the best and most intelligent/philosophical science fiction TV films of the eighties. Based on a Taoist sci-fi story by the legendary Ursula Le Guin she takes a story of mind and matter and runs with it - like Slaughterhouse 5, the surreal Polish film Saragossa Manuscript or Tarkovsky’s Solaris or Stalker or a more recent film like the time travel puzzle that is Prime, this is another one of films that leaves your head spinning even after repeat viewing.

Do not adjust your mind, this is reality malfunctioning!

The Ash Tree is one of the most unsettling M.R. James adaptation’s by the BBC of his supernatural tales and haunted the imagination of a generation of seventies and eighties viewers.
While the effects are somewhat primitive by today’s standards, the spectral atmosphere of the story more than makes up for it.

The original 1972 animation had a profound effect on myself as child and though I had been aware of this remake for some time, I usually avoid version 2.0 of any much loved film for obvious reasons, but after revisiting the original version (available elsewhere on Primewire), in a moment of madness I thought ‘well how bad can it be?’ - all I can say is it’s perfect for the snowflake generation:
Imagine a de-fanged, safe, corporate friendly, non-subversive version of the Dr Seuss classic and you have the 2012 remake - it is like a Twinkie, easy to digest,superficially tasty and easily accessible, but deep down you know it’s very wrong (and were links allowed there would be signpost right about here to at least watch the original as well as the remake).

For children of all ages and especially for the adults who have forgotten the wisdom of The Lorax who speaks for the trees!

Kudos to the poster(s) who is/are sharing some wonderful Japanese cinema recently like The Taste of Tea, Fish Story and Symbol - all are among my all time favourite Japanese films!

If you are a fan of true crime, this is definitely worth a watch as it captures a bizarre murder plot as it unfolds in real time. This a UK documentary and it is very rare to have footage of the police and suspects from the start of the investigation and forwards through evidence gathering and arrest. The murder of Sadie Hartley was just brutal beyond belief, matched only by the bizarre personalities of the killers.

Not sure if links are okay here, but you can watch the entire season of White Wall at the svtplay website. The website is already linked in the shows descriptions, morons. I put the same link in my comment as the one there. Check your facts before silencing someone.

I should have guessed that whenever the publicity machine needs to overtly advertise with other series (Black Mirror/Stranger Things) then there is something not quite right - the perfect soul mate found through technology has become a minor sci-fi trope and indeed Black Mirror delivered one of the best takes on this with their Hang The DJ episode, but Black Mirror this ain’t.
Certainly, as others on here have commented, the 2nd episode is far better than the opener, but nothing special in my opinion.

The Evil Lives Here series is definitely one of the better ones from the ID true crimes stable - minimum reenactment, archive footage and most importantly, the voice of those impacted by the documented crimes.
This episode is a good representative of the series, focussing on a survivor who spent years assuming she knew who’d murdered her entire family.

The Cremator is one the best films ever to come out of post Prague spring Czechoslovakia and features the dream team of director Juraz Herz and actor Rudolf Hrusínský in a dark comedy set against the backdrop of the thirties and forties.

pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile.

A very strange case that leaves you shaking your head

Along with Battleship Potemkin, Z and State of Siege, this was the must see film for any self-respecting radical during the latter part of the last century - so much has been written about this film and while it depicts events of 70 plus years ago, namely the bloody anti-colonial struggle against the French occupiers in Algeria, the issues it raises are as relevant as ever.

The Jeffrey MacDonald case has fascinated me for decades because it goes to the heart of the very idea that ultimate truth and certainty can be sculpted out of evidence and testimony.
Out of all the directors who could have focused their lens on the case, Errol Morris is the natural choice and even if he had not already taken a deep dive into the case in bestseller book form, he would still be the ideal filmmaker for the task as he seems to implicitly grasp the core issues of memory, narrative, testimony, evidential findings and human fallibility that lie at the heart of the justice system.

If you can resist a rush to judgement and live with uncertainty you will find this compulsory viewing, just like his previous opus Wormwood, Errol is on top form.

PS I would really recommend the companion podcast called Morally Indefensible which takes an in-depth look into the Fatal Vision book on the case written by Joe McGinniss which also forms the basis of the TV series of the same name.

This is such an engrossing and atmospheric European animation film and I remember rewatching it almost immediately as visually it is stunning.
Highly recommend it for fan of 9 and the like.

Classic European comedy that never gets old - perfect rainy Sunday afternoon viewing from Jacques Tati

My favourite Adam Curtis documentary series and perhaps the most currently relevant in terms of today’s culture wars.

I would highly recommend this documentary series as it clearly explains over three episodes the roots of the so-called war on terror, the events surrounding 9/11 and the real history of the late 20th century.
Adam Curtis is one of the greatest living documentarians we have here in the UK and watching his entire body of work gives the viewer a historical insight into the way the world truly works.

Incredible documentary series that explains over four parts how the UK was eaten alive by predatory capitalism during the 70s and 80s.
As always Adam Curtis tells the story in his own unique and highly absorbing way.

Jean Luc-Godard at the height of his creativity - this was one of the first real ‘art-house’ films I saw as a young teenager and its always been one of my favourites.
I always think of Weekend as a curious prophecy of the revolutionary events of May ‘68 that occurred in France a year after the film’s release, but I digress…!

I’m a huge fan of the soundtrack by the legendary Italian brothers Guido And Maurizio De Angelis, especially the ‘Last Battle’ track but I must admit, I’ve never seen the film before so kudos to the poster, that’s my weekend film to watch list filling up nicely.

Great first episode and remarkable acting by David Tennant.

And just like all the other episodes this season, nothing happened. At least I laughed at one joke. Great way to waste a 300th episode… lol

One of the best non-English speaking dystopian/satirical sci-fi films of the sixties and it being the fashionable decade, also one of the most stylish.
This is also the first film to employ the ‘reality television’ trope of hunter/hunted, used to great success in films like Battle Royale and Running Man.
If you are not one of those people who have an aversion to subtitles I would also recommend a similar made for TV film from Germany, called ‘Das Millionenspiel’ and released in 1970.

aw, ep.4 still not up?

Good episode that leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth as you contemplate the rights and wrongs of the case.

(Studio Ghibli aside) Along with Midori, Belladonna Of Sadness and Grave of the Fireflies, Angel’s Egg is my favourite Japanese animation film - I’ve lost track of the times I’ve watched it, there is something so mysterious about it, that it pulls you in again and again.
Trivia: a large section of the animation was included in the 1988 Australian sci-fi film ‘In the Aftermath’ which blends the original animation into live-action Mad Max style footage apparently shot in the Californian desert (which is strange considering this is an Australian film until you realise its essentially a half-made film clumsily edited with Angel’s Egg to create a full length feature!).
I wouldn’t have even mentioned the film but for its inclusion of a most beautiful piece of piano music called ‘Carnavalito Tango’ by the Argentinian pianist Horacio Moscovici which can be heard on YouTube last time I looked.

Episode 2 is on YouTube but it’s a video embedded in a background (I’m guessing as a way of circumventing any copyright search) - this is why I hesitate to add it as a link but at least you can watch it and follow the series until a proper link to the episode is added.

The director Todd Solondz is an oasis of talent in a sea of gross mediocrity and pretty much every film he has made is well worth watching with perhaps ‘Happiness’ topping the bill.

The podcast series Dirty John is well worth a listen after watching this as it really fleshes out the entire saga.
Your heart really goes out to Terra Newell, she is one incredibly courageous woman and without her fighting for her life things could have turned out so differently.

Wow that was a pointless episode. :)

This is such an incredible film - if you like your cinema with a dose of high strangeness then this is one definitely for you.
Kudos to whoever posted this, I saw it a couple of times when it came out and its such a pleasure to revisit it as it is one of those films that seem to improve with repeat viewing.
File under independent/arthouse but in the best sense of the terms.

Seen this one before…..

Well said good Sir! I could not have said it better myself. Completely and utterly shocking! To see someone so evil and devoid of a conscience was just very horrible to witness. I knew there were evil people in the world but this was one of those crimes that is way up there on leaving you guessing almost until the end. Talk about an unusual suspect……. And the way Dateline did this episode is right up there as one of my favorites. Another must see for you is Criminal Confessions, Season 3 Episode 1 about Chris Watts, monster of Colorado. Looking forward to more of your excellent reviews!!

This is one show that will haunt me the rest of my days. He is a monster. This show was very well done and created to bring focus and attention back to the beautiful Shanaan, Celeste, Bella and Nico and how precious they were. Not to just give the monster all the attention. He showed absolute guilt several times before he confessed in my opinion.

Unbelievable story of murder and deception that will keep you guessing until you are absolutely horrified at the end! Well done Dateline!!

Along with Wild Palms, Nowhere Man and American Gothic, Dark Skies is definitely one of the most overlooked TV series of the nineties.
In many ways the success of the X-Files overshadowed Dark Skies which was a real shame as this was an incredibly original series.
It takes me back to a time pre-internet/pre-truthers when conspiracy theory, UFOlogy, occulture and deep politics were still very much part of the subcultural mileu and in many ways Dark Skies lifted the lid on the world of fanzines and obscure books with the occasional documentary thrown into the mix.
Perhaps there was less signal back then, but equally there was far less noise to deal with.

Another ‘impossible it would be made today’ UK 70s fantasy kids series. As the BFI website states:

“Kafka for kids” is how co-writer Bob Baker concisely summed up this, another in a long line of unsettling mid-70s fantasy-based serials from West Country ITV franchise HTV. As Baker hinted, the title almost certainly came from Franz Kafka’s allegorical novel The Castle, a study of the dehumanising alienation wrought upon us all by modern society. And this was for children?
HTV executive Patrick Dromgoole modestly recalled it as “quite a serious piece of work” and the serial was nominated for a BAFTA. It stands as a benchmark of just how far ITV could sometimes push the envelope in the mid-70s.

The BBC is so London-centric apart from the occasional show like this one, featuring Northern England’s funniest comedian - thank the comedy gods for Peter Kay!

Windstruck along with My Sassy Girl was one of my first introductions to South Korean cinema and it still remains one of my favourites - one of those perfect films when you need to completely escape from the present.

Saw this when it came out and it is one of those films that gets under your skin and stays with you long after you’ve seen it - the cinematography is excellent and it’s one of the reasons why Iceland is on my bucket list!
While it will appeal to those who like their independent/arthouse cinema, it is still a great story and the acting is spot on.