By - Gareth Jones For fans of weird folk horror, the Welsh language Released in 1975 by Blood on the Stars was one of the first films commissioned by the new Welsh Film Board.  The Board was created to help promote the Welsh language which was spoken by fewer and fewer people.  For those who don’t know me, I am half Welsh, with my father immigrating to the United States […]

By: Gareth Jones For fans of Tom Hardy, Gareth Evans, violent action films I have been a fan of Gareth Evans for quite a while, and not just because of his name and nationality, although that is a very valid reason.  I remember watching The Raid when it first came out and being absolutely shaken by the extreme violence, but even more so by the game-changing choreography and editing. I […]

By: Gareth Jones For fans of Jem Cohen, D.I.Y., essay films, underground musicians (Atlanta scene) documentaries I first became familiar with the incredible work of Jem Cohen when I watched the documentary Instrument, a film about the band Fugazi that he made over a ten year period..  Cohen is a prime example of being the right person at the right time as he grew up in the punk scene in […]

By: Gareth Jones For fans of Ryan Coogler+Michael B. Jordan, Vampire/Folk Horror films with layers I still remember the time that I saw Fruitvale Station at the Sundance Film Festival.  It was a devastating but extremely important film. It was definitely one of those moments where I knew I had seen the first film of a filmmaker and actor that would go on to a big career.  Ryan Coogler’s direction […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Finnish cinema, black and white boxing movies, everyday man stories I swear I am not only watching boxing movies.  My last review was of the 1972 classic Fat City, and somehow when I logged onto MUBI, I stumbled across this Finnish film from 2016.  The image used for promotion was of Olli and his girlfriend, future wife Raija joyfully laughing and frozen in […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of John Huston, Stacy Keach, Jeff Bridges, boxing movies, John Steinbeck-like stories The New American Cinema movement in the late sixties and early seventies was not just for the new crop of American directors like Martin Scorcese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Peter Bogdonovich.  Indeed, several Hollywood veterans were also able to create in new and exciting ways, often reinvigorating their career.  This is certainly […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Irish folk horror, Steve Oram, modest films that pack a punch, Hereditary Coming out five years after Ben Wheatley’s folk horror revival Kill List, Liam Gavin’s A Dark Song also predated Ari Aster’s folk horror masterpiece Hereditary.  Both A Dark Song and Hereditary use the folk horror genre as a way of addressing grief and mourning.  That is one of the wonderful aspects […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Paul Naschy, Spanish Exploitation Gothic, early 1970’s cheesy but fun Euro-horror Jacinto Molina Álvarez, known professionally as Paul Naschy, is one of the most important figures in the development of Gothic Cinema and Spanish Cinema as well.  Born in 1934, he grew up during the Spanish Civil War and lived during the fascist regime of Franco.  As a child, he saw Frankenstein Meets […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of American Gothic, David Lynch, Viggo Mortenson, terrifying coming of age films Some films you see and they are immediately forgotten.  Others stick in the back of your mind forever.  For me, The Reflecting Skin is one of the latter. Released in 1990, it was the first film directed by the incredibly talented polymath, Phillip Ridley.  He had made two short films and written […]