The Woodstock Festival in the summer of 1969, as many will attest to, marked a landmark in the American post-war social consciousness. Michael Wadleigh’s award winning documentary Woodstock (1970) brilliantly captured the infamous concert in its entirety, not only showcasing the creative musical talent that marked the decade prior but also informing us of a … Continue reading The American Road Movie: Driving Away From the 1960s Counterculture
‘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
The second ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’ is sinking under the weight of its own superhero films, multiple shared universes and the need to market toys. On the flipside, one could say that ‘The Golden Age of Television’ has been on the rise for two decades now and showing no sign of abating. Film studios have … Continue reading The Sun Always Shines on TV, Part 1
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
In 2003 a swords and cannon, swash-buckling epic was released into the cinema. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl made the pirate movie popular again in a way that it hadn’t been since Errol Flynn in Captain Blood (1935) and The Sea Hawk (1940). Pirates of the Caribbean owed at least … Continue reading Lost in the Fog: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
*Please Note: depending on where the reviewer watched them, some of these films were only subject to release in 2017 despite having premiered at film festivals in 2016. Reviews by JJ McDermott Paterson (2016, directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Adam Driver and Golshifteh Farahani) A delightfully unexceptional film typical of Jarmusch's minimalist autuership. Set in … Continue reading JJ, Robin and Alan’s Round-up of the Year in Film…So Far
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 of the less well known is Rule 47: Never remake a movie which previously starred Michael York. The veracity of this … Continue reading Rule 47: Never remake a movie which has previously starred Michael York
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
Momentary Cinema 