In which Gerry Hayes dons his Converse All-Stars (vintage 2007), pops some Stevie Wonder on the JVC and copes with his crippling fear of product placement. I, Robot, 2004. Directed by Alex Proyas. Starring Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan and that squidgy bloke from Firefly as a shiny robot. Written by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman […]

The Chicken Strikes Back! In all honesty if it wasn’t for the Star Wars connection I’d probably never have watched an episode of Robot Chicken. Back when Family Guy was set to release their own take on the Star Wars saga with the Blue Harvest special, I remember reading that another Seth Green series had […]

Coraline, 2009. Directed by Henry Selick. Featuring the voice talents of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher. SYNOPSIS: A spine-tingling tale about a curious young girl who unlocks a mysterious door that leads to an alternate version of her life. On the surface Coraline looks like any other children’s animation, telling the tale of a girl […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director Michael Mann in the second of a two-part feature… read the first part of the article here. With the arrival of the 1990s, Michael Mann experienced a creative renaissance that would place him on the A-List of Hollywood directors. In 1990 he produced the Emmy winning docudrama Drug […]

Scum, 1979. Directed by Alan Clarke. Starring Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Julian Firth and Phil Daniels. SYNOPSIS: When Carlin (Ray Winstone) is sent to a Borstal young offenders institute carrying a hard man reputation he is pushed to the limit by wild inmates and cruel officers to uphold it. In this brutal concrete jungle it’s […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director Michael Mann in the first of a two-part feature… For a city that gave birth to the legend of Al Capone, it is not surprising to discover that Chicago is the hometown of a movie director who is known for his visceral depictions of criminals and law enforcement […]

Tressa Price selects her Five Essential British Romances of the Nineties and Noughties… 5. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001 dir, Sharon Maguire) Total escapist romance. Just imagine being torn between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Bridget, played by Renee Zellweger with an impeccable British accent, has to choose between her disreputable, unreliable and sexy boss Daniel […]

In which Gerry Hayes wants to believe it can be better than this… The X Files: I Want To Believe, 2008. Directed by Chris Carter. Written by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz. Starring David Duchovny, the lovely Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet, X to the Z. Full disclosure: In common with many men who […]

Genova, 2008. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Starring Colin Firth, Catherine Keener, Willa Holland, and Perla Haney-Jardine. SYNOPSIS: A haunting, eerie journey to a place where souls stir and hearts go to mend themselves, Genova is the dark, brooding voyage of discovery for one family, torn apart by tragedy. Acclaimed British director Michael Winterbottom continues to […]

Santosh Sandhu discusses the French New Wave… French cinema in the post war years consisted mainly of genre movies with high production values. It was often studio bound and formulaic. The Gaullist regime came to power in the late 1950s and wanted to promote a home grown industry to compete against the dominance of Hollywood. […]