Django, Kill!
Argent Films continues its re-release of the "original" spaghetti westerns with Django Kill, a classic wild west mix of spit, grit and exploding squibs. It might not be Unforgiven, but Edward Lamberti still finds much to enjoy
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Cinq Fois Deux (5×2)
Francois Ozon seems to be dividing popular and critical opinion down the middle these days. 5×2 is the latest film to showcase his distinctive directorial style, following the development of a love affair in reverse. Review by Ed Lamberti
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Horizons West
Where would modern cinema be without the Western? The iconic films of the great Western directors have had a profound effect on film as a medium, and this new study by Jim Kitses sets out to explore the history of the genre. Review by Edward Lamberti
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The French Cinema Book
The enormous canon of French cinema can be a daunting prospect even to the most ardent fan. This new release from the BFI aims to cover French film all the way from 1894 to 2004, but it all proved too much for Ed Lamberti
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Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Melville is one of the most influential French directors of the last fifty years, but during his lifetime he arguably never received the level of recognition he deserved. Ed Lamberti sets the record straight
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The Cinema of Italy
Italy has had a profound influence on the development of cinema as a modern medium, producing some of the truly great directors – Fellini, Visconti, Antonioni, Rossellini, to name a few. Edward Lamberti reviews a new overview of Italian cinema from Wallflower Press
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The Pocket Essential: Steven Spielberg
Spielberg is the most famous and arguably most enduring director of our times, but critics have been slow to appreciate his work. Edward Lamberti reviews the latest book to examine his career from the Pocket Essentials stable
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The Man in the Glass Booth
The American Film Theatre’s experiments in filming classic plays never reached a very wide audience, but the advent of DVD might be about to change all that. Edward Lamberti reviews one of its new releases
»Sunrise
The style of silent films can be difficult to engage with these days, but the great directors transcend the limitations of their time and remain relevant for a modern audience. Edward Lamberti looks back at a Murnau classic
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Le Souffle (DVD)
The coming-of-age story has always been a popular film genre, but Damien Odoul’s Le Souffle has a distinctly Gallic take on the subject, following one boy’s misadventures over a single day on a rural French farm. The film has finally received a DVD release in the UK, and Edward Lamberti thinks it was worth the wait
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The Dreamers
Bernardo Bertolucci has returned for another tango in Paris with The Dreamers, the story of a menage-à-trois between three cinema-obsessed teenagers during the protests of 1968. Edward Lamberti thinks the film "lacks an overall sense of organisation or purpose"
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L’Ami de Mon Amie
Eric Rohmer is one of those directors whose critical reputation far outstrips his popular success, but that might be about to change now his films are being released on DVD. Antonio Pasolini reviews the final part of Rohmer’s ‘Comedies et Proverbes’
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Le Chignon d’Olga
Young French directors seem to be leading the way in modern European cinema, and this absorbing study of bereavement and breakdown from Jerome Bonnell is no exception. Edward Lamberti applauds his "original take on familial grief"
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Dark Water
Hideo Nakata’s films command a cult global following, and his Ring films reminded Western audiences (and studios) of the true power of the horror film. Edward Lamberti investigates his latest film
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Plein Soleil
kamera’s coverage of the French noir season at the Ciné Lumière continues with this thriller from Réné Clement, which explored the adventures of Mr Ripley long before Anthony Minghella got in on the act. Edward Lamberti reports
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Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud (Lift to the Gallows)
In our second report from the French noir season, Edward Lamberti looks back over Louis Malle’s debut film – a "classic corkscrew noir" which mixes up passion, intrigue and an untrustworthy elevator
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Sex is Comedy
Catherine Breillat’s new film revisits a scene from a previous movie, and makes it into the subject of a fictional ‘making-of’ documentary. Edward Lamberti thinks it’s a bit too clever for its own good
»Network
With the nation currently glued to their television screens to watch a bunch of very ordinary people doing very little, it’s a good time for Edward Lamberti to look back at one of Hollywood’s sharpest media satires – Sidney Lumet’s Network
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Sam Spiegel: The Biography of a Hollywood Legend
He was one of the last of Hollywood’s great playboy producers, and oversaw the making of some of its best-loved films – but until now, Sam Spiegel has received relatively little critical attention. Edward Lamberti enjoys a new biography which explores the man and his era
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Lilja 4-Ever
Lukas Moodysson’s third film swaps the domestic Swedish settings of his previous films for the harsh realities of the life of a teenage girl in Russia. Edward Lamberti thinks it misses the mark
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