The James Marsh film review archive

James Marsh

  • Reality

    I was a big fan of Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah and was very encouraged when his follow-up, Reality, also bagged him the Grand Prix at Cannes last year. The film just… Read More

  • Happy Together

    I finally caught up with Wong Kar Wai’s much-lauded 1997 film, starring Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu Wai as tempestuous lovers living in Buenos Aires. To find out what… Read More

  • The Hunt

    So often such a frightening screen presence, it is a refreshing change to see Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen play such a likable and sympathetic character as he does here. The… Read More

  • REVIEW: Lincoln

    Steven Spielberg assembles an incredible cast of noted character performers for this dense and stately, yet thoroughly compelling history lesson. As a Brit, my knowledge of American history, and the… Read More

  • Sleeper

    Certainly one of Woody Allen’s funniest films, Sleeper sees the comedian play a jazz musician/health food store owner, who reawakens into a bizarre totalitarian state after a routine operation sees… Read More

  • Zombie Flesh Eaters

    A notorious film for any number of reasons, from its numerous titles, spectacularly gruesome effects, ridiculous moments of action or inclusion on the Video Nasties list, Lucio Fulci’s Zombie Flesh… Read More

  • Dispatch 24 – Oscars 2013

    On this week’s dispatch, Fernando and James discuss the nominations for the 2013 Academy Awards – which take place on 24 February – weighing up the relative merits of the… Read More

  • The Man With The Iron Fists

    Wu-Tang Clan frontman and self-confessed Shaw Brothers fanboy RZA makes his directorial debut in this loving but messy homage to the martial arts classics of yesteryear, which he also wrote… Read More

  • REVIEW: The Man With The Iron Fists

    Rapper-turned-filmmaker RZA writes, directs and stars as the titular hero of this passionate love letter to old school Chinese martial arts movies. It is widely known that the founder of… Read More

  • An Autumn’s Tale

    Screening as part of the Film Archive’s 100 Must-See Hong Kong Movies, this is a delightful romantic comedy from 1987, starring Chow Yun Fat and Cherie Chung, and filmed in… Read More

  • Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance

    As part of a future (as-yet undisclosed) project, I’m currently re-visiting the films of Korean director Park Chan-wook. I was planning to begin with JSA: Joint Security Area, but neither… Read More

  • Robot & Frank

    This unlikely buddy movie about an elderly ex-con and his robotic domestic helper works fantastically well, thanks to a wonderfully nuanced performance from Frank Langella and deft handling of the… Read More

  • REVIEW: Robot & Frank

    I had heard nothing but great things about this movie, and was still kicking myself for missing a press screening back in December. Fernando had it on his Best of… Read More

  • The Raid

    I’ve seen Gareth Evans’ blistering Indonesian action movie a few times before, but on discovering that last night’s dinner guests were in the mood for a movie and unaware of… Read More

  • The Notebook

    This Valentine’s Day I picked a notoriously slushy romance for the girlfriend and I to watch, one that neither of us had seen but I had a copy of lying… Read More

  • Dark Star

    After watching Prince of Darkness last night, my girlfriend demanded I show her more John Carpenter. Fortunately she has seen most of the director’s better films like Halloween, The Thing… Read More

  • Die Hard 2: Die Harder

    When reviewing A Good Day to Die Hard last week I stated that I had never understood the hate for Die Hard 2 and that it remained my favourite of… Read More

  • Prince of Darkness

    John Carpenter had a fantastic run of form, from his debut Dark Star in 1974, up until They Live in 1988. Just before that sci-fi action classic he made this… Read More