Author Archives: curtisrunstedler
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: I, Tonya
Craig Gillespie’s mockumentary biopic (and first directed film) I, Tonya tells the story of Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), an Olympic figure skater from an abused and unloved background who is the first to successfully complete the triple axel, before being accused … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged figure skating, Margot Robbie, mockumentary, Tonya Harding
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Mysterious Skin
Based on Scott Heim’s acclaimed novel of the same name, Greg Arraki’s 2004 film Mysterious Skin is a tough and disturbing watch, but also an incredible cinematic experience. It tells of two boys Neil (a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Brian (Brady Corbet) … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged alien abductions, child abuse, coming of age, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, pedophilia, sexual abuse
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Tess of the D’Urbervilles (2008)
The enchanting Gemma Arterton stars as Tess in the excellent 2008 BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which is near perfect. Arterton is amazing as Tess: immensely talented, resilient, free spirited, ethereal, gorgeous, and the very image … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged BBC, drama, Gemma Arterton, pastoral, Thomas Hardy, Victorian
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Police Story (1985)
This is arguably Jackie Chan’s best action movie, and certainly one of the best action movies of all time. I think what really propels this one among Chan’s other films is its sheer audacity: consider the opening sequence, where Chan … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged 80s, action, Hong Kong, Jackie Chan, stunts
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Runstedler’s Pick of the Month: T2: Trainspotting
Not to be confused with the also excellent T2: Judgement Day (one of the best sci-fi films of all time and James Cameron’s finest hour), T2: Trainspotting 2 is well worth the wait and delivers the goods. Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns to Edinburgh … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Danny Boyle; sex; heroin; Edinburgh; Scotland; Ewan McGregor, Trainspotting;
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Bad Boys (1983)
Not to be confused with the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence buddy cop Bad Boys series (‘Point Break or Bad Boys II?’), Rick Rosenthal’s 1983 Bad Boys tells a much darker tale. Sean Penn stars as Mick O’Brien, a troubled kid who means well, but keeps getting into … Continue reading
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Hard Boiled
Yippee ki yay! ‘Tis the season for Die Hard, folks. But what’s ‘better than a dozen Die Hards’? Well, it’s John Woo’s 1992 film Hard Boiled (not a film about eggs), and this is saying a lot because the original Die Hard is one of the … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged action, Chow Yun-Fat, Dirty Harry, gun fu, Hong Kong, john woo
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Into the Inferno
Werner Herzog’s latest 2016 documentary Into the Inferno is a fiery delight. It comes nearly in tandem with his also excellent Lo and Behold! Reveries of a Connected World, which is about the wonders and horrors of Internet culture in our growing technological … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Iceland, Indonesia, netflix, volcanoes, Werner Herzog
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: The Salvation
While it doesn’t really offer the Western genre anything new, who really cares? Kristian Levring’s excellent revisionist Western The Salvation, starring Mads Mikkelsen, the always charming Eva Green, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is a great experience and full of surprises. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Danish, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Western
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DVD Pick of the Month: The Call of the Wild (2007)
Ron Lamothe’s film The Call of the Wild (2007) is an extraordinary documentary that primarily focusses on the ill-fated quest of Chris McCandless (also subject of Sean Penn’s film Into the Wild, my favourite film, and Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name), a … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Alaska, Chris McCandless, death, documentary, Into the Wild, road trip, survival, wilderness
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