Author Archives: curtisrunstedler
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: The Witch
Let’s face it, the Puritans are/were pretty awful. As Ronald Hutton says, they ruined all our fun. Robert Eggers’ excellent debut film The Witch features a Puritan family in seventeenth-century (complete with awesome seventeenth-century dialogue!) rural America, who, after being exiled from their … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Anya Taylor-Joy, Black Philip, forest, horror, Robert Eggers, seventeenth-century, witches
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: What We Do in the Shadows
‘Vakey, vakey, Petyr!’ Hats off to my amazing girlfriend Daisy for getting me into this! In the frenzy of recent vampire films such as Let the Right One In, the Twilight series , and more, What We Do in the Shadows emerges as an exciting addition to … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged comedy, horror, mockumentary, New Zealand, satire, vampires, werewolves
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
Thomas Vinterberg’s (The Hunt) adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Far from the Madding Crowd is absolutely enchanting, a delight of the senses, and an emotional journey. I decided to read the novel after watching the film (tears of joy streamed down … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Carey Mulligan, Juno Temple, romance, Thomas Hardy, tragedy, Victorian
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Mad Max: Fury Road
Yes, Mad Max: Fury Road is as good as everyone says it is. Perhaps even better! No, you don’t need to watch the original trilogy beforehand, but it wouldn’t hurt, especially The Road Warrior (my favourite), and perhaps the original Mad Max to make … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged action, car chases, explosions, feminism, flamethrower guitars
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Mommy (2014)
Xavier Dolan’s (Laurence Anyways) fifth film Mommy is a brilliant French-Canadian film from one of the scene’s most promising new talents. It’s about a single mother whose violent and emotionally unstable son returns to live with her, and the life … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged Franco-Canadien, mother-son, relationships, visual
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Song of the Sea
2014’s Song of the Sea is a beautiful Irish animated film that appreciates both classical hand-drawn animation and Irish folklore while recognising issues such as lack of spirituality and urbanisation. The makers of Song of the Sea saw previous success with the fantastic … Continue reading
Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Joy Division (2007)
Coming out the same year as the excellent fictionalised account Control but enjoying its BBC premiere just now, the 2007 documentary Joy Division is the essential documentary that examines the beginnings, rise, and fall of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged dark, documentary, Joy Division, music, ominous, post-punk
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal has been on a roll lately, delivering some of his best performances in films such as End of Watch and Prisoners in recent times. Add 2014’s Nightcrawler to the list, in which he plays the creepy, sociopathic yet strangely charming Lou Bloom. He is … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month, TV
Tagged crime, Machiavellian, media, thriller
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: The Woodsman
I was writing a horror short story about a young boy lost in the woods that attempted to blur the line between reality and fiction (tentatively titled ‘The Woodsman’) when I came across the excellent 2004 film The Woodsman, which stars … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Movies, Reviews, Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month
Tagged after, crime, drama, psychological
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Runstedler’s DVD Pick of the Month: The Addiction
Abel Ferrara’s 1995 film The Addiction is a philosophical and metaphorical revisionist take on conventional vampire themes and style. Gone are the ridiculous glittering vampires and even the glamorous vampires of lore (i.e. Dracula). Instead, the vampires of this film are sickly, … Continue reading
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