Whilst mainstream horror seems to be getting progressively worse, the indie scene is going from strength to strength, with creative and exciting new directors turning their hands to genre flicks and making some modern classics. Recently, The Babadook, It Follows, The Innkeepers, Goodnight Mommy, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, have all proved … Continue reading
It’s easy to list what’s wrong with the prequel trilogy – poor characters and non-existent character development, nonsensical and boring political plots, over use of CGI and green-screen – but harder to pinpoint why they went wrong. Looking back on the whole saga, it seems the original movies were probably more of a collective effort … Continue reading
Casino Royale pulled the Bond template apart to start fresh, giving us a raw and unpolished Bond in a world without gadgets and eccentric villains. The suggestion then was that this was the new Bond, the serious, semi-realistic and edgy Bond; the Bond for the 2000s. Then we got Skyfall, which ended on very familiar … Continue reading
Following on from LGTB Representation in Cinema, it seemed fitting to examine one of the highlights of the so-called gay genre – fashion designer Tom Ford’s 2009 drama, A Single Man. The film, based on Christopher Isherwood’s dreamy and beautiful novel of the same name, follows English professor George Falconer (Colin Firth) on what potentially, could be … Continue reading
There was a knowing quality to Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park. The title and logo are shared between the park and the film. The park’s merchandise can be bought in real-life. When Dr Grant and Dr Sattler see the brachiosaurus for the first time, their sense of awe relates to that of the audience, seeing the … Continue reading
Thunderball was a huge commercial success, but suffered from its formulaic plot. Fearing that the rot was starting to set in, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman sought to make On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the 5th franchise film, but weather conditions meant production was shifted to You Only Live Twice instead. Released … Continue reading
And here we reach the complete nadir of the franchise. Yes, there’s been bad Bonds before – Diamonds are Forever, A View to a Kill, Octopussy – but none that have been quite as insulting as Die Another Day. Most of the bad Bonds have at least one redeeming feature – a great location, a … Continue reading
Every December, there’s a series of films which get marched and watched without question. These are the Christmas classics, the movies which are forgotten about for eleven months of the year before appearing in a blizzard of snowy, jingle-belled glory come the festive season. The Christmas classics are fairly set these days, and as with … Continue reading
Though not really related to Christmas at all, there’s something very festive about the Harry Potter movies, which explains why ITV are showing every single one this December. Maybe it’s something to do with the series’ sense of childlike wonder and magic, its lazy Sunday afternoon vibe, or even, like Bond, its quintessential Britishness – there’s … Continue reading
The Hunger Games are well written and well directed movies, and considerably stronger than most of the teen friendly nonsense pumped out by studios these days. Critics have praised the movies for their plots, quick world-building, and empowering female protagonist. There’s a problem though, with how the series is being presented; in particular, how the … Continue reading
