Mark Cunliffe

Jan 13, 2025 | thegeekshow.co.uk | Mark Cunliffe

Coming to Blu-ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection from 13th January is Elaine May’s 1976 gangster movie Mikey and Nicky. Starring regular collaborators John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, May’s movie capitalises on the pair’s natural chemistry, lending great authenticity to their roles of lifelong friends. Set over the course of a single night, Mikey and Nicky stars Cassavetes as Nicky, a small-time mobster with an ulcer who has stolen money from local crime boss, Dave Resnick (Sanford Meisner).

Dec 19, 2024 | thegeekshow.co.uk | Mark Cunliffe

Coming to Blu-ray this week, Radiance follows up last year’s release of Bo Widerberg’s 1976 cult classic Man on the Roof with another masculine-sounding policier from the director: 1984’s The Man from Majorca. Like the previous effort, it’s a distinctly Scandinavian take on gritty New Hollywood cop movies, such as Widerberg’s beloved The French Connection.

Dec 10, 2024 | thegeekshow.co.uk | Jimmy Dean |Mark Cunliffe

Second Run have been spoiling me over the last few weeks. Hot off the heels of their incredible release of Days and Afternoon: Two Films by Tsing Ming-Liang, they’ve released Fugitive Images – Selected works by Andrea Luka Zimmerman.

Dec 9, 2024 | thegeekshow.co.uk | Mark Cunliffe |Graham Williamson

The Criterion Collection know what they’re doing releasing Funny Girl to Blu-ray in December. As the chill winds buffet outside and the rain lashes against the window, what better time is there to snuggle up with a film so warming and lengthy that it has an intermission? Better still, it’s a musical. Musicals are made for the approaching festive season. They’re like a big luxurious selection box to devour, with each tune a treat as rich as chocolate.

Dec 2, 2024 | thegeekshow.co.uk | Mark Cunliffe

Last week, Second Run continued on their mission to rediscover seemingly forgotten cinematic gems from late twentieth century Eastern Europe and present them to our modern day Western eyes with the release of The Hop-Pickers (known as Starci na chmelu in its Czechoslovakia), a film that has been labelled the first Czech film musical. It was West Side Story that inspired filmmaker Ladislav Rychman and screenwriter Vratislav Blažek to introduce the musical genre to their native Czech cinema.