The Emerald Isle has offered a lot to the world (submarines, Samuel Beckett, decent stout, Clonakilty black pudding etc.) but if you were to look at Hollywood films over the years, it would seem that all we have been good for are things like potatoes, leprechauns, excessive drinking and terrorists. Begorrah and bejaysus, a soft … Continue reading Hollywood Fieldtrips to Ireland: The Good, the Bad and the Uafásach*
‘…a horror flick with over-tones of the Gothic, surreal and a touch of chaotic ludicrousness …’ Aronofsky’s Mother! is on the surface a film about the worst house guests in history, and as such is shot as a horror flick with over-tones of the Gothic, surreal and a touch of chaotic ludicrousness. But this film … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Mother! (2017 Darren Aronofsky)
Blade Runner (1982) didn’t need a sequel. A previous post on this very blog was dedicated to that subject. However, if you absolutely positively have to have a sequel for a film which doesn’t require one, then pray to the movie gods that the sequel is as good as Blade Runner 2049. After all, Alien … Continue reading The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear 3D Glasses – Blade Runner 2049 Review
“…reducing the film and its central narrative to esoteric wankiness…” For many cinema goers, expectations for this greatly anticipated sequel to Blade Runner were high. Then again, I am one of those who never believed it was going to match the original. And it doesn’t. But it is not a complete write-off either. The cinema-photography … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Blade Runner 2049 (2017 Denis Villeneuve)
This is the first in a series of posts on the filmmaking of Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), one of the greatest directors of all time. These posts will be authored by Robin Stevens, JJ McDermott and Alan Matthews, and the idea is for each part to take a selection of Hitchcock’s films and analyze them in … Continue reading Exploring Hitchcock Part 1: A Deeper Look at Rebecca, Rear Window and The Birds
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, come and see! And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him John 6. 7-8 (New Testament) Recent events in the US have put the … Continue reading Nazism and the impact of World War II as depicted on Film
There are certain rules known only to a select few by which it is possible to predict the quality of movies. The origin of these rules is often obscure and difficult to explain. One, which has entered common thought, is Rule 21: "The 'Director’s Cut' is always the best version of the movie, except when … Continue reading Rule 21: The ‘Director’s Cut’ is Always the Best Version of the Movie, Except When it isn’t
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
‘…a rather lackluster way to end the trilogy…’ This is the third installment of Coogan and Brydon’s sojourn of comic impersonations, while sampling culinary delights and generally driving about. The first was set in Northern England, the second along the coast of Italy and now the third in Spain. This is the least interesting of … Continue reading The Two Reviews: The Trip to Spain (2017 Michael Winterbottom)
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
Momentary Cinema 