Looking back at cinema history, the 1970s were one of the most interesting periods, thanks to studios giving directors more control, which is why so many films from that decade are incredible. Then Heaven’s Gate came along and destroyed a studio, and the doors shut on the auteurs and their control. Now it seems the…
Tag: drama
The Social Reckoning
Many regard The Social Network as one of the best films of the 21st century. The story of Facebook’s creation is respected for its performances, Aaron Sorkin’s first-rate script, and David Fincher’s cinematic direction. Now, 16 years later, Sorkin returns to Facebook and takes the reins as director, with a film that might not have…
Verity
There is a moment in Verity when a character says she doesn’t read books you can buy at an airport. I could just as easily say the same about movies based on books you can buy at an airport. These pulp thrillers based on bestsellers have become hugely popular over the years (The Housemaid, The…
Heart Of The Beast
Movies that involve dogs usually give me shivers. They are often sickly sentimental with an obvious full-on emotional ending, or just plain annoying. Cujo was an exception, but that was a dog with rabies, and Channing Tatum’s 2022 Dog managed to avoid the usual potholes. Now we have Heart of the Beast, a survival movie…
Bad Apples
A few months back there was a film released called Good Boy, which starred Stephen Graham as a man who kidnaps a criminal, chains him up in his cellar and tries to rehibilitate him. Now we get Bad Apples, a film that follows similar lines, except this time it’s a primary school teacher and an…
Practical Magic 2
Practical Magic was a minor hit back in 1997 and while a strong cast, wasn’t that memorable. In fact, before visiting the sequel, I had to revisit and watch the original. It’s a fairly sweet natured tale of witches that made more of an impact when it hit home entertainment than in the cinema. Now,…
Pressure
Many movies have covered the D-Day landings on 6th June 1944, most notably The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan. Yet we have never had a movie about the seaborne invasion told from a weatherman’s point of view until now. Pressure is the true story of how General Dwight D. Eisenhower made the decision of…
The Dog Stars
Sir Ridley Scott has always been a highly respected director, and his films always generate a certain amount of excitement, although the quality of his movies has been, in the most polite way, hit-or-miss. Starting out strong with The Duellists, Alien, and Blade Runner, there are some films that equal those now classics (Gladiator, Thelma…
Coyote Vs Acme
Some films are never sure things, even after they’re completed. Coyote Vs Acme is one such film. Made back in 2023, it was shelved by Warner Bros Discovery as a tax write-off. However, Ketchup Entertainment managed to buy the rights and saved the film from never being seen, and we can thank them for doing…
The End Of Oak Street
Imagine, if you can, waking up to find your suburban street has been taken over by dinosaurs. Well, that’s the basic premise of writer-director David Robert Mitchell’s adventure film, which has more than a touch of Steven Spielberg about it. It is easy to do that, considering that Spielberg directed one of the greatest dinosaur…
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Someone recently said that the superhero movie was done and dusted, that public fatigue had grown, which is why films like Supergirl had failed miserably. Well, looking at the box office takings of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it seems that there is still a hunger for the web-slinger. This fourth outing for the current incarnation…
Animal Farm
I have recently taken up reading more. It takes me away from scrolling on my phone, and to be honest, it has made me feel a whole lot better about myself. One of the books I read was George Orwell’s immortal Animal Farm. Written in 1945, it was an allegory of Stalinism set on a…
