In his latest book Cinema Speculation, his first non-fiction work, Quentin Tarantino discusses a number of movies he saw in the late sixties, throughout the seventies and into the early eighties. He delves into the era of New Hollywood and delivers a comprehensive and entertaining commentary on films that had the most effect on him … Continue reading Quentin Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation Reviewed, Part 1
The noughties marked my life’s maturing (ages 14-24) and by way of that, marked the ascendancy of my passion for film. It was during this time that I generally started to reject the mainstream and seek out more independent material. Whether because I was genuinely establishing my taste in art or because I just wanted … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 2000s
Towards the end of Planet of the Apes (the original 1968 version) the borderline grotesque human George Taylor (Charlton Heston) commands his two ape saviours, Cornelius and Zira, and his ape captive, Dr. Zaius, to show him the ancient remains of pre-simian creatures in a cave located in the so-called 'Forbidden Zone'. The remains had … Continue reading Archaeologists on Screen: Heroes, Villains or Somewhere in Between?
And we wanna get loaded and we wanna have a good time Dialogue from Roger Corman’s 1960s counterculture classic The Wild Angels was an interesting choice for the opening of Primal Scream’s ‘Loaded’, a seminal indie-dance anthem released in February 1990, but it did resonate with the moment – a new decade, a new direction, … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1990s
The first film I saw in the cinema was Honey I Shrunk the Kids, a Disney film penned (weirdly) by body horror masters Brian Yuzna (Society) and Stuart Gordon (Re-animator), and released in the summer of 1989. I was four, so the memory is a bit patchy but I do recall being very complimentary of … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1980s
I think it is safe to say that the seventies bore witness to the greatest decade for cinema. The fifties saw a post-war stagnation, the sixties saw experimentation and a liberation of ideas, and the seventies saw expansion and, as was often the case, a reach for excess. The Hollywood elite lost all semblance of … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1970s
The following twenty films from the 1960s are included in the top 100 on the Sight and Sound critics' list of the Greatest Films of All Time: Black Girl (1965, Ousmane Sembène) (=95) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, Sergio Leone) (=95) The Leopard (1963, Luchino Visconti) (=90) Pierrot le fou (1965, Jean-Luc … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1960s
Often seen as a stepping stone to the more experimental sixties, the fifties offered some low-key cinematic experimentations in itself. Hollywood continued to focus on their traditional popular genres like Musicals and Westerns, but even in those parameters one can determine some variation and expansion taking hold. And this was mostly down to a subtle … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1950s
A lot of things changed in the 1940s. The physical and mental landscapes of the world’s population was massively impacted by the events of war. Despite this, we can be very grateful that movies were still made throughout that time, and in many cases they tell a story of that turbulent period both on- and … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1940s
Anna Christie, an adaptation of a Eugene O’Neill play, was the first big Hollywood release of the 1930s. It starred the Swedish icon Greta Garbo in her first talking role, and it delivered her famous line at the beginning of the film: ‘Gimme a whisky, ginger ale on the side, and don’t be stingy, baby!’ … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1930s
Momentary Cinema 