With a mocking smile, he placed one hand upon my shoulder and, holding me tight, bared my throat with the other, saying as he did so: 'First, a little refreshment to reward my exertions...' And oh, my God, my God, pity me! He placed his reeking lips upon my throat!Mina Harker narrates in Bram Stoker’s … Continue reading Horror in Store, Part 1: Dracula’s Influence
The Dig (2021, Netflix) Featuring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Ben Chaplin and Johnny Flynn. Screenplay by Moira Buffini. Based on ‘The Dig’ by John Preston. Directed by Simon Stone. There is a certain formula to British historical dramas that make me a bit queasy. It may be the stuffiness of the characters, the … Continue reading The Two Reviews: The Dig and Ammonite
Good documentaries are hard to come by but they are there if you look for them! Netflix have several mainstream and topical documentary series in their catalogue, and many from this year have been worth the remote control button press. The Last Dance about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls is a riveting sports documentary. … Continue reading Film in 2020: Five Must-See Documentaries
The film year during Covid began with a gawk-inducing attempt by Wonder Woman Gal Gadot to bring sunshine into people’s lives affected by lockdown by assembling a star-studded line-up to collectively sing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’, and it ended with Tom Cruise giving a foul-mouthed tirade to a few people who stood too close to each … Continue reading Film in 2020: Best and Worst in a Year of Few
There are so many incredible examples of cinematography from around the world. So much so that it can be very difficult to settle on a particular moment or place in cinema history for an appropriate inclusion to this great series that Robin has devised. But I thought it relevant to go back to when cinematography … Continue reading Cinematography of the World – Part 2: Jack Cardiff in 1940s Britain
Middling films of the year There were three particular movies from three acclaimed and barrier-breaking directors that I believe could have done more than they did this year. Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma was beautiful, affecting and imbued with symbolism, but it lacked the magic of some of his earlier stuff. The Favourite by Yorgos Lanthimos was … Continue reading Review of the Year 2019 in Film
Time for a driving movie. From low budget to big budget via Tina Turner, there is the glory that is the Mad Max films. But not today. Let us assume that for a moment the cartoon crassness of The Fast and the Furious franchise is not welcome. You could refer back to a whole blog … Continue reading Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 5 – Hell Drivers (1957 Cy Endfield)
This film is a recording of a live concert of the iconic rock band The Cure at Hyde Park, London in July 2018 - the anniversary of their first live performance 40 years earlier. It is directed by Tim Pope, a long-time collaborator with The Cure and a producer of nearly all of their music … Continue reading Review Special: The Cure Anniversary – 1978-2018 – Live in Hyde Park London
Absolutely everything! Well, when they are done well that is. One fresh example is They Shall Not Grow Old, Peter Jackson’s recent, extraordinary and awe-inspiring documentary presenting World War I footage. Painstakingly restored with colour and realistic sounds added, this film is composed entirely of archival footage from the British National Museum and a soundtrack … Continue reading War Films, What Are They Good For?
Rocketman (2019, Paramount Pictures) Directed by Dexter Fletcher. Written by Lee Hall. Featuring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Stephen Graham and Bryce Dallas Howard. After eying the trailer for Rocketman earlier this year, I had a cynical supposition that it was only attempting to jump on the bandwagon of success that greeted Bohemian Rhapsody … Continue reading The One Review: Rocketman (2019 Dexter Fletcher)
Momentary Cinema 