Consider the scope and worth of Sir. Ridley Scott‘s seminal science-fiction classics Alien and Blade Runner and you might be forgiven for wondering why the renowned director has only given up two films to the genre. But ask yourself this: what more could he really have done?! The man practically reshaped big screen sci-fi TWICE with a pair of masterstrokes…
A modern-day spin on one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Coriolanus is an ambitious and lyrical Greek tragedy that has everything you’d expect from the mind of the Bard; betrayal, revenge, pride, conflict, monologues, dilemmas, death- it’s all in there. The only thing missing is a star-crossed lover or two. Both its star and director,…
As a cinephile and complete HD-whore, I spend most of my free time watching old films from yesteryear that have been remastered in high definition. I am also a horror fan, so Arrow Video’s expertly curated selection of old horror movies – which ranges from genre classics to little-known masterpieces to low-budget trash – is…
I am a fan of Tobe Hooper. Anyone who makes a film as astonishingly effective as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre deserves a level of respect. My love of that film has lead to me exploring his other works, but sadly the new blu-ray release his 1981 film The Funhouse left me cold and disappointed. The…
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Universal Pictures, one of Hollywood’s oldest and most successful movie studios. To celebrate this, Universal are remastering a selection of their most iconic and famous films and releasing them on blu-ray and DVD. One of these releases is Robert Mulligan’s 1962 picture To Kill a Mockingbird, an adaptation…
“Growing up we all wanted to know who the toughest kid in the neighbourhood was right? I wanna know who the toughest man on the planet is. That’s what we’re gonna find out.” Set around the father Paddy (Nick Nolte) and his two estranged sons, Warrior follows their battles with each other, money, their pasts…
Courageous preaches a sadly outdated moral image, supported by acting and characterisation that struggle to tell a meaningful tale.
It’s fair to say that this latest Hunter S Thompson translation has been attracting more flack than a Junker over London, but perhaps it deserves a little more credit than it has been given, or maybe just an independent jury. The problem with most of the film fans (including myself) who flocked to see The…
Actors don’t always make great directors when they transfer their talents from in front of the camera to behind it, but British actress Rachel Ward manages the transition rather well. Beautiful Kate, adapted from a novel by Newton Thornberg, observes the relationship between a father and his estranged son. It flashes back to when the…
If you’re looking for something original to watch, avoid this derivative piece of low-budget nonsense. The plot involves a big house, a new family moving into it, a wife who starts to suspect it is haunted, husband/friends who accuse her of being mad, and a horrific crime that happened inside the house years ago. Now…
This ludicrous home-invasion thriller from Joel Schumacher failed miserably at the cinema. It isn’t hard to understand why. Although it stars A-listers Nicole Kidman and Nicholas Cage as a rich couple with a whiny teenage daughter, the film provides very little in terms of entertainment value. Some may get sadistic pleasure from watching two usually…
Some atheists find it hard to like or admire C. S. Lewis’s popular fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. The biblical allegories, the parallels that swap Jesus for a lion, pieces of silver for Turkish delight, and the general themes of hierarchy, monarchy, betrayal and suffering are, to some non-religious minds, problematic aspects when seen…
This is a thoughtful and well acted drama, adapted from a novel by Chi-Yao Wang. Jonathan and Shane are two schoolboys, thrown together by chance when their teacher makes them befriend each other. Shane has problems concentrating and the teacher hopes Jonathan will help him stay organised and out of trouble. As the two boys…
Clint Eastwood’s back-catalogue alone is enough to show that when actors try their hand at directing the results can be impressive. When Gary Oldman wrote and directed Nil By Mouth however, the results were outstanding: BAFTA adjudged it one of the 100 best films of all-time, and awarded it the Best Screenplay and Best British…