Happy New Year!

2021/12/31

Dear friends, clients and colleagues,

We hope this year 2021 saw a return to form to you and loved ones.

The whole extended Grey Wolf team wishes you an amazing 2022!

The General – 1926

2021/12/14

Charlie Chaplin is our shared reference when it comes to madcap silent film shenanigans, but chances are Buster Keaton’s legacy has been just as important, if not greater. In this bonkers Civil War adventure, Keaton’s wild stunts – many of which you’d be hard pressed to replicate today – create and instantly perfect a type of slapstick that has informed every successful physical comedy since. Not only do you get to witness the first fluent expression of the grammar later found in the animated films ranging from Tom and Jerry, Tex Avery, all the way to Rick and Morty today, but you get to do so while engrossed in a compelling adventure that, nearly 100 years on, is still a hoot, and one of the greatest comedies ever made.

The Border – 1982

2021/11/14

Look for a ranking of Jack Nicholson’s performances and all the usual suspects pop up. It’s a strong body of work to plough through, and nestled toward the top of his second-tier output is this criminally under-appreciated thriller. As relevant today as it was upon release, this gnarly sunbaked tale follows Nicholson as a recent transfer to a Texan border town, where some morally dubious shenanigans are afoot. What sets this a cut above the rest is the brutally honest treatment of a situation with no clear winners, and where moral integrity has a heavy cost. Ole Jack is perfect in this, even though the tacked on modified ending prevents this from becoming one of his top 3 films. It might be from 1982 but has that gritty 70s vibe, enhanced by some truly creative and unflinching kills. Check it out!

I Saw The Devil – 2010

2021/11/04

While the world loses its collective mind over « Squid Game », another welcome recent global nod to Korean cinematic creativity and mastery, why not try this tense thriller. « I Saw The Devil » is a dark, violent twist on the serial killer genre, worlds removed from what any Hollywood effort might attempt. A grieving secret agent decides to take revenge on the serial killer who murdered his pregnant fiance. From that point on, nothing unfolds as you’d expect, probing extremes of cruelty and even pitch-black comedy that will linger in your mind for a long, long time.

Irma Vep – 1996

2021/10/14

Olivier Assayas’s polyglot satyre is that rare film that can have its cake and eat it too. It skewers French cinema, whilst acting as a subversive love letter to an often surreal industry, and it makes us revel in the frailties of its odd characters, especially the incomparable Maggie Cheung, who can convey entire worlds of meaning with just a raised eyebrow. Magical stuff.

Godzilla VS Hedorah – 1971

2021/09/14

It’s a kaiju Summer for us at Grey Wolf, and having worked our way through the Criterion Collection’s beautiful edition of the first 15 Godzilla films, we had to pick a favorite. Yes, the original remains unmatched, but when it comes to sheer fun, inventiveness, and sheer bonkers experimentation, it doesn’t get any better than this duel between Big G and sludge-oozing smog-monster Hedorah. Part kaiju romp, part 70s acid fever dream with visuals that forever sear themselves into your brain, this is 100% awesome.

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe – 1995

2021/08/14

You’ve heard of Godzilla. Who hasn’t? Allow us to introduce you to his distant cousin, heroic kaiju Gamera, a turtle-shaped colossus with boosters up his backside. Like his better known countryman, Gamera has enjoyed many cinematic outings, but this is his finest hour. The care put into this recalls the kaiju classics of yesteryear, but the updated effects and careful execution give it that much more impact. A lot of fun!

Dogs of War – 1981

2021/07/31

Hidden behind the bargain bin 80s action film actioneer marketing (Christopher Walken waving a massive Manville XM18 launcher) lies one of the best ever studies of the mercenary trade, and the cold cruelty with which the great powers toy with weak nations. After a nightmarish first half where Walken reckons an all-too-realistic dictatorship in Central Africa, he meticulously puts a team and plan together for a client-mandated assault. For the most part, this plays out like one of the great 70s procedurals, like 3 Days of the Condor or All The President’s Men, where sporadic bursts of disturbing violence punctuate the building tension. It all leads to a phenomenally tense and precise action climax, that is both powerful and cathartic, making this little-known cinematic curiosity the crown jewel of its star’s career.

Persepolis – 2007

2021/07/14

If for some reason you managed to miss Marjane Satrapi’s phenomenal biographical graphic novel about her youth in revolutionary Iran, now’s your chance to make up for lost time. Her irreverent art is beautifully brought to life in this animated adaptation, one of the most funny, touching and important films you will ever see.

Across 110th Street – 1974

2021/06/14

One of the very best « blaxploitation » movies ever made is also a first-rate gritty cop drama, where the seedy New York of yesteryear is at its grimmiest, and two of most magnetic male stars of all time, Yaphet Kotto and Anthony Quinn, fight their way through mobsters and corrupt officials alike. You probably only know it for its wonderful theme song by Bobby Womack (reused in QT’s Jackie Brown), but the film itself deserves at least just as much attention and reverence.