It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

Released quietly in a thimbleful of cinema screens ten years ago, Elliot Goldner’s first, and so far, only, film was quickly released on a bare bones DVD, seemingly destined for an afterlife of quiet obscurity. However, a handful of decent reviews, including one from Mark Kermode who in his review claimed he nearly had to leave the screening room towards the end through fear, have helped the film garner a small cult following that have amassed around its haunting story. Fair play to then to Second Sight Films who have released the film in a new substantial package, finally giving the film its proper due.

Although credited to screenwriters Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor, you could be forgiven for thinking TIL DEATH DO US PART might be an A.I.-generated hybrid designed to merge all our favourite moments and characters from JOHN WICK, TRUE ROMANCE, READY OR NOT and KILL BILL. If this is the case, The Machines have failed to carry over the wit, excitement, invention, and humanity. Early on, a poor rip-off of Hans Zimmer’s glorious “You’re So Cool” theme from TRUE ROMANCE (itself an adaptation of a Carl Orff piece already appropriated by BADLANDS) makes you realise just how tediously third hand all of this is.

The otherwise familiar sight of American cityscapes is marred by plumes of black smoke pouring upwards into the sky. On the streets below, tanks sit stationary at the traffic lights, the highways are choked with abandoned cars, the shells of burnt-out helicopters lie in the middle of the JC Penney’s parking lot and the Wi-Fi keeps dropping out. Welcome to Alex Garland’s vision of a war-torn America where what once was a fantastical conceit seems disturbingly plausible through the writer/directors’ English lens, with his tale of a band of journalists and photographers travelling across a war torn dis-united states.

One of the more surprising pieces of film news in recent months was that actor Dev Patel had made his directorial debut with an Indian martial arts movie for Netflix, only for the streaming service to drop it, supposedly for fear that the films portrayal of right-wing government figures could offend an Indian audience. Enter Jordan Peele, who, impressed after a viewing, uses his own production company Monkeypaw Productions with the help of Universal to bring the film to a cinema audience.

Eighteen years after a totally unnecessary and unmemorable remake, which seemed purely a marketing decision instead of a creative one to take advantage of its 6/6/06 release date, hopes could hardly be described as high when plans for a prequel to THE OMEN were announced. With a completely underwhelming EXORCIST sequel still fresh in our memories, it is hard not to feel that this could be yet another cynical ploy by a major studio capitalising on a profitable IP. What a pleasure then to find that THE FIRST OMEN is much better than expected, showing what can be done with a vintage franchise with the right talent paying their respects while simultaneously taking risks that, for the most part, pay off in a fulfilling and sinister fashion.

Following on from last year’s 4K UHD release of Lucio Fulci’s THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, Arrow Video have turned their attention to another of Fulci’s so-called ‘Gates of Hell Trilogy’ titles with 1980s CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (which means you know what will be coming soon… hopefully).