Maniac, 2012. Directed by Franck Khalfoun.Starring Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, Jan Broberg, Liane Balaban and America Olivo. SYNOPSIS: As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop’s deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface. Remakes. The debate about them could go on and on and on for weeks, […]

Oz the Great and Powerful, 2013. Directed by Sam Raimi.Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs and Joey King.  SYNOPSIS: A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches. Let me start by saying that the story of […]

Anghus Houvouras discusses the most disappointing films of all time; next up is the Quentin Tarantino / Robert Rodriguez double feature Grindhouse…. Disappointment is always a product of expectations.  Some will tell you that a disappointing film may be more likely due to those expectations being unrealistic.  The product of ‘hype’ or the kind of […]

C.O.G., 2013. Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez.Starring Troian Bellisario, Jonathan Groff, Corey Stoll, Dale Dickey, Denis O’Hare and Dean Stockwell. SYNOPSIS: A young man chooses to spend a summer ‘roughing it’ on an Oregon apple farm, and in the process learns more than he ever thought possible. According to director Kyle Patrick Alvarez, the decision […]

Luke Graham selects his five essential Alan Moore graphic novels…. After the recent release of Man of Steel and Iron Man 3, I’ve been getting back into my comic collections, and digging through the works of my favourite comic book writer, the crazy, creative occultist Alan Moore. Born in England in the 50s, Moore has […]

Commenting on the Critics with Simon Columb…. The mural on my brother’s wall Catherine Gee writes for The Telegraph about the upcoming Terminator 5… “But now a formal announcement has been made – complete with release date. According to Paramount, Laeta Kalorgridis (Avatar) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) are attached to write the screenplay, and […]

Simon Columb attends BFI Southbank’s Rita Hayworth retrospective… Two years after Citizen Kane, the genius Orson Welles married Rita Hayworth. This was her second marriage lasting three years before they separated – but not before a brief rekindling of their romance on the set of The Lady from Shanghai. It didn’t last long and they […]

It’s certainly been a good year for screenwriter-turned-director Shane Black, whose second collaboration with Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 3, not only launched Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also climbed to fifth in the all time global box office chart with a worldwide box office haul of $1.209 billion. Having tacked Marvel’s […]

The East, 2013. Directed by Zal Batmanglij.Starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Julia Ormond, Patricia Clarkson and Jason Ritter. SYNOPSIS: Intelligence company Hillard Brood send in agent Jane to infiltrate an extremist left-wing group, to attempt to prevent their next attacks. I must admit, this film appealed to me entirely […]

Our weekly round up of the latest stories from the world of screen superheroes, including Kick-Ass 2, The Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Man of Steel, Man of Steel 2, Justice League, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Phase Three, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Captain Planet, Arrow, Teen Titans Go!, Beware the Batman, […]