James Ellis on the unsung heroes of film… Most people don’t realise what goes into making the films we love and adore. There is pre-production – all the writing of scripts and getting everything and everybody together. Then there is the production – all the shooting and explosions and arty bits. Finally there is the […]

With his latest film The Social Network in cinemas this month, Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director David Fincher in the third of a three part feature… read parts one and two. “When it became apparent that I wasn’t going to be involved in Black Dahlia [2006],” stated director David Fincher, “I didn’t go, […]

It’s Kind of a Funny Story, 2010. Directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck. Starring Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis & Emma Roberts. SYNOPSIS: Sixteen year-old Craig (Keir Gilchrist), after dreaming of one too many suicide attempts, checks himself into hospital for depression. However, the child wing is being renovated so he finds himself in the […]

Harry Brown, 2009. Directed by Daniel Barber. Starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Ben Drew, Charlie Creed-Miles, David Bradley, Jack O’Connell and Liam Cunningham. SYNOPSIS: A retired Royal Marine takes matters into his own hands when his friend is murdered by a gang of young hoodlums. It’s difficult to precisely pinpoint the moment I fully embraced […]

Cherokee Summer selects her Five Essential Natalie Portman Films… With ear-deafening reviews flooding out of the festival circuit, praising Natalie Portman’s performance in Darren Aronofsky’s (The Wrestler) trippy, psychological thriller Black Swan (arriving on UK shores for its UK premiere at The London Film Festival in a few weeks), we take a look at Natalie […]

London River, 2009. Directed by Rachid Bouchareb. Starring Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyaté. SYNOPSIS: Two strangers journey to London in search of their children who are missing in the aftermath of the July 7th terror attacks. Forgive my sexism here, but seeing as I’m not a middle-aged-to-elderly female it’s pretty safe to say that a […]

DJ Haza talks Top Gun in more “Frustrated Ramblings Of An Aspiring Filmmaker”… Stinger: “Don’t screw around with me Maverick. You’re a hell of an instinctive pilot. Maybe too good. I’d like to bust your butt but I can’t. I got another problem here. I gotta send somebody from this squadron to Miramar. I gotta […]

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, 2010. Directed by Oliver Stone. Starring Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Eli Wallach, Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon. SYNOPSIS: After emerging from prison disgraced corporate raider Gordon Gecko partners with a young Wall Street broker and sets out to alert the financial community to the impending economic […]

A Town Called Panic (French: Panique au village), 2009. Directed by Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar. Featuring the voice talents of Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar, Jeanne Balibar, Bouli Lanners and Benoît Poelvoorde. SYNOPSIS: A trio of plastic toys embark on a series of surreal adventures. Due to the predictability and unoriginality of a large proportion […]