Favourite Films

Vote In The Second Annual ‘Onnies’

By
21/02/11

In Sir William Goldman’s book of essays on Hollywood, The Big Picture, (I added the Sir) the screenwriter repeatedly eschews the virtues of the Academy Awards. Happy to admit they are tacky and crass, it’s the importance of them that must not be forgotten. They are after all, “the lead phrase in most obituaries.”

They also, always, provoke rage and bile like no other awards (the comical Globes just provoke distain) but most importantly, they get people talking about movies. And if you’re on this site, either as a first timer or repeated reader, you’re here because you love talking about movies.

Today you don’t have to just talk. Today you get to vote. And in a move tantamount to the most charitable piece of giving since Mother Teresa invented text message donations we’ve given you the option of adding your own opinion. Please use it carefully, all votes for The Bounty Hunter will not only be ignored but we’ll also send ‘Dog’ round to your house.

Results will be announced Oscar Night so hit us back, in the meantime. Let the voting commence.









Boardwalk Empire

By
04/02/11

It is fitting that when Sky launched their new channel Sky Atlantic on Tuesday, the show that headlined the evening was set in Atlantic City. Boardwalk Empire, depicting the vast social changes in 1920s America hit the small screen this week and did so with all the pomp and flair of an illicit prohibition era party.

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The Year That Comedy Dies And Drama Thrives: Golden Globes

By
15/12/10

It’s been too long, my dear friends. Firstly, let me briefly apologise for my lack of content over the last year. As important as my writing is to me, I just haven’t been able to find the time to keep my blog going with the consistency that it had this time last year. Saying that, it’s awards season.

Following the first few critics’ associations pitching in with their end-of-year awards, today brings the first real signs of spring. The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning and let me tell you, there were some truly shocking inclusions as well as some pleasantly surprising (but half-expected) ones. Sitting comfortably? The Thisfilmison Road To The Oscars begins now…

    BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Four out of these five were no-brainers. ‘The Social Network’ has been cleaning up at the critics’ awards so far so will be regarded as the front runner by a whisker, but only because ‘The King’s Speech’ is yet to receive it’s general release. Early reviewers have been nothing short of astounded with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s performances being hailed as ‘magnificent’, so expect a heavily contested race come January.

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Top Five Coolest Things From SDCC!

By
31/07/10

With the San Diego Comic Con whetting the appetite for geeks and freaks all over the world, Lewis Swift runs down the top 5 moments from this years convention.

5) The first picture from Cowboys and Aliens!
Whilst Scott Mitchell Rosenberg’s graphic novel series retains a relatively cult status for now, chances are, when the film adaptation is released this time next year copies of the genre bending romp will be flying off the shelves. The man in charge of further lining Rosenberg’s pockets is none other than John Favreau, the man who made Iron Man into a phenomenon. Whilst initially rumoured to be another project for The Fav and his go to guy Robert Downey Jr, scheduling issues forced Fav to look further from home, finally settling on none other than Daniel Craig for the lead.

Q's latest gadget

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Predator and Politics

By
08/07/10

This Friday sees the release of the real would-be-sequel of Predator. We thought we’d have a look to see where the original stars have ended up. It would appear they’re all in one place. From the Predator Jungle to the Political one. Here’s a rundown of how the original Predator was a breeding ground for politics.

Arnold Schwarzenegger – (Republican)
The most famous star in both film and politics, The Governator first ran for election for the Governorship of California in 2003 in a (total) recall election. Winning the remainder of then Governor Gray Davis’s term (inator) Arnie was re-elected in 2006 for a full-term.

arnie

This year could see the Austrian Oak run for the United States Senate. The Presidency, however, is one step too far. Having not been born in the US of A, he is inelligable to run…unless he makes them change the constitution. If anyone could.

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Can Inception Save The Summer?

By
08/07/10

Hands up if you’re loving the summer so far. Those with their pinkies in the air will no doubt be those enjoying non-stop festival joy. Those that have their arms stapled to their sides will probably be English football fans.

inception

Alternatively you could keep your arms down if you have even a fleeting love of anything remotely cinematic – because 2010, for cine-philes, has been a total stinker.

Fear not, though, celluloid-fanciers, for the summer is about to get saved. For Inception is almost here.

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Noel Clarke – Great British Hope?

By
09/06/10

It’s easy to knock Noel Clarke. The first reason, being the bright young thing of the UK film scene, he most probably has Danny Dyer’s mobile number on speed dial having starred with the feckless wonder on two occasions. Secondly, walking amoebas like Peter Andre cite him as “a hero”. Thirdly he won the Orange Rising Star BAFTA, sandwiched between unworthy victors Shia The Beef and Kristen Stewart.

noel

So it’d be easy to knock Noel Clarke. Easy, but wrong. Look beneath the rather attractive surface and he’s actually the definition of a grafter. The youngest looking 35-year-old on God’s green Earth he has the whiff of a meteroic rise about him even if the facts speak otherwise. Stints in British shit TV staples such as Casualty, The Bill and even Doctors litter his early career until he pulled himself a Good Will Hunting and decided to write a film based on his life experiences. Success, both financial and critical, swiftly followed.

Kidulthood will have it’s detractors. It featured “Nah wat I mean bruv?” dialogue that usually ushers a reply of “Well not really my dear” from anyone outside of London who wasn’t talk to speak English via SMS and it featured the kind of dramatic teenage years that even Skins script-writers may consider a tad far-fetched. It was, if nothing else, refreshingly different.

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The Tuesday Preview – Inception

By
01/06/10

Roughly thirteen years ago a young Christopher Nolan banded together with a selection of his friends and associates in an attempt to write, produce and direct a feature length movie. The result was Following, a black and white exploration of the voyeuristic side of the human condition. In the film a naive young writer becomes entangled with a charismatic career criminal named ‘Cobb’.

Teaser Poster

Jump forward to 2010 and it would seem that Nolan’s career has come full circle. Inception marks what is albeit, a hi-concept return to that original story with Leonardo DiCaprio now donning the moniker of Cobb whom the newly released banners have labelled ‘The Extractor’.

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The Tuesday Preview – MacGruber

By
25/05/10

Over the years Saturday Night Live has been responsible for numerous Hollywood feature films. Yet for every Wayne’s World there’s a Night at the Roxbury, for every Blue Brother’s there’s a Blues Brothers 2000. This is not to say that SNL is a dying concept. Stars like Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon and the brilliant Bill Hader all cut their teeth on the long running skecth show. Whilst the noughties has been kind to SNL’s stars the show’s writers have not faired so well. There has been a noticeable lack of SNL spawned features over the last decade, 2000’s avoidable The Ladies Man being the most recent. That is until now!

Sweet Ride!

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The Tuesday Preview – The A-Team

By
18/05/10

Those of you fortunate enough to have been born and raised in the 80’s will remember the enduring pleasure of Saturday TV. Back when there were only four channels, no remotes and channel hopping was merely a twinkle in Rupert Murdoch’s eye it was completely conceivable that a prepubescent boy could spend almost one hundred percent of his day basking in the comforting glow of a cathode ray.

Logo

The afternoon, pre Noel’s House Party slot was arguably the most lucrative slot of all, often filled by such transatlantic delights as Air Wolf, Knight Rider and Bay Watch. Whilst all the aforementioned shows have a certain kitsch, retro cool about them it is another show which has managed to ingratiate itself into the collective memory of an entire generation. Perhaps this is why it is The A-team who has made the tricky transition to the big screen ahead of its Saturday afternoon contemporaries.

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