Trevor Hogg profiles the internationally renowned filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in the first of a four part feature… “I was a struggling young painter,” recalled legendary moviemaker Akira Kurosawa, “I saw a newspaper advertisement, PCL [Photo Chemical Laboratories], which later became Toho Studios, wanted an assistant director. They asked applicants to write essays on the basic […]

Trevor Hogg celebrates the centenary of internationally renowned filmmaker Akira Kurosawa… Born a century ago on March 23, 1910 was an artist who had the ability to cinematically blend Japanese culture with Western storytelling, allowing him to craft an enduring legend. “I am a man who likes Sotatsu, Gyokudo, and Tessai in the same way […]

Gary Collinson selects his Five Essential Films of Tony Scott… British director Tony Scott’s introduction to the world of film came at 16 when he starred as the lead in Boy and Bicycle (1965), the debut short from older brother Ridley. Tony soon found that his true calling lay behind the camera and, after joining […]

Sir Ian McKellen has announced on his website that filming on The Lord of the Rings prequels will get underway in the next few months. The veteran actor – who will reprise his role as Gandalf – said that shooting on the two-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s children’s classic The Hobbit will begin […]

Veteran actor Peter Graves has passed away yesterday 14th March after suffering a heart attack outside of his home. He was 83 years old. Graves made his screen debut in Winning Your Wings (a 1942 recruitment short for the US military alongside Jimmy Stewart) and went on to appear in over 100 feature films and […]

Seconds out… welcome to the 2nd annual Superhero Showdown! LAST TIME OUT 2009 was all about Marvel pulling away from DC Comics in the race for big-screen superhero superiority after a hard fought 2008 in which Marvel’s Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk slugged it out with The Dark Knight. Last summer the House of […]

After huge amounts of (worthy) kudos – not to mention a considerably healthier bank balance – for 2008’s The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan has been handed the reigns to DC Comics’ other superhero property – the Last Son of Krypton himself, Kal El. Nolan – who will oversee the project as producer alongside his […]

Former child star and 80s heartthrob Corey Haim has passed away this morning aged 38. He was found unconscious in his apartment in Burbank, California and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter, with early police reports indicating an accidental drug overdose. Born in Toronto, Haim began his career in the Canadian TV series The Edison Twins […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of filmmaker Tim Burton in the third of a four part feature… read part one and part two. Taking a cue from previous blockbuster disaster pictures, Tim Burton assembled a cast of celebrities for his black comedy about an alien space invasion. Mars Attacks! (1996) featured Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider) […]

Results of the 82nd annual Academy Awards… Kathryn Bigelow made history last night as she became the first woman to receive the prestigious Best Director Oscar for her work on the 2009 Iraq War thriller The Hurt Locker, beating out ex-husband James Cameron who was nominated in the same category for box office juggernaut Avatar. […]