Below you will find two reviews: one of The Beguiled from 2017, directed by Sofia Coppola, and another of The Beguiled from 1971, directed by Don Siegel. Both are contrasting adaptations of the 1966 novel of the same name by Thomas P. Cullinan (it was originally released under the title ‘A Painted Devil’). The Beguiled (2017, … Continue reading Adaptations Part 3: A Painted Devil Twice Imagined as The Beguiled
Unlike a previous post, which also dealt with great cinematic scores, here disagreements are not welcomed. The following selection may not be your favourite movie scores but they sure as hell should be in your top ten. These are a selection of soundtracks which were integral to the telling of the story, which lifted the … Continue reading The Score is Not Settled: 7 More Great Cinematic Musical Compositions
'…sits nicely in the cyberpunk genre…’ Ghost in the Shell is a well-established franchise in comics, movies and TV. Just not as live action. The animated movie Ghost in the Shell (1995), based on the 1989 manga series, has been so influential in science fiction cinema that it has become an almost impossible task to … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Ghost in the Shell (2017 Rupert Sanders)
The fear, the tension, the anticipation surrounding the proposed release of Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi in December of this year is palpable. You can taste it in the air. Speculation about the plot, the quality of the production and the new direction of the canon take up more bytes on the internet … Continue reading Hope for the Future – Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Preview
‘The Golden Age of Television’ is certainly upon us and one may only subscribe to Netflix, or wherever, these days to witness this. There is a startling depth of choice when it comes to new TV shows from around the world, and within this depth, one may also observe the growing trend for TV shows … Continue reading The Sun Always Shines on TV, Part 2
Charlie Chaplin once stated that A Place in the Sun (1951) was ‘the greatest film ever made about America’. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, it won six of them along with numerous other awards and accolades. Produced and directed by George Stevens, and starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters, it is one of … Continue reading Shades of Light and Dark in A Place in the Sun
Many of you will obviously have differing opinions on this list but please be mindful it is not meant to be definitive. It is just a snapshot of my own favourite composed film scores from memory (non-original soundtracks excluded). Please share a few comments of your own favorites below if you so wish. In the … Continue reading The Settling of Scores: 7 of the Greatest Musical Compositions in Film
Paris in the twenties, it can offer plenty, To a young man with a vision, so they say. With a friend named, Fitzgerald, I was headed for the old world, On a merchant steamer bound for Biscay Bay. From Mickey Newbury's 'Heaven Help the Child' (1973) I remember first absorbing myself in F. Scott Fitzgerald's … Continue reading Adaptations Part 2: The Great Catastrophe of Adapting Gatsby
Blade Runner 2049 is due for release October 2017 - a sequel, 35 years in the making, to Blade Runner (1982). It is commonly known that this is part of a spate of remakes and sequels which Hollywood has produced in the last two decades in an attempt to draw declining audiences back into cinemas, … Continue reading Fear for the Future: Blade Runner 2049 Preview
With Asghar Fashidi's recent (and second) triumph at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film with The Salesman (which I have yet to watch), I thought it would be a nicety nice idea to check out some of the great movies that have come out from that troubled land - The Middle East (and no, … Continue reading Films from The Middle East: A Short Selection
Momentary Cinema 