Tom Conran with his thoughts on an early screening in Sheffield and Q&A with Shane Meadows, Paddy Considine and Mark Herbert… Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee (2009). Directed by Shane Meadows. Starring Paddy Considine, Dean Palinczuk and Olivia Coleman. Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine reunite for the first time since Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) in this […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director Peter Jackson in the second of a two-part feature… read the first part here. Peter Jackson decided to pursue his dream of producing a fantasy film as his follow-up project. Lacking major studio support to remake King Kong, the director chose to adapt a literary masterpiece. J.R.R. Tolkien’s […]

In which Gerry Hayes keeps looking around to see if John Cleese is going to pop up in a white coat, offering a titanium codpiece with a built in iPod and lemon-zester. Quantum Of Solace, 2008. Directed by Marc Forster. Starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Giancarlo Giannini. Written by Paul Haggis, […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director Peter Jackson in the first of a two-part feature… “I grew up in a little town in New Zealand at the bottom of the North Island called Pukerua Bay,” revealed Peter Jackson when reflecting upon the coastal community of his youth. “There’s stone caves inside the mountains. There’s […]

In which Gerry Hayes just can’t stop humming that tune… Mission: Impossible II, 2000. Directed by John Woo. Starring Tom Cruise, Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott. Screenplay by Robert Towne. Oh, god, who has the energy? It’s another Mission Impossible. That means insanely implausible and monstrously complicated and convoluted story-lines. It means The Cruiser running about […]

Gary Collinson selects his Five Essential Films directed by Clint Eastwood… Despite a mantlepiece that boasts four Oscar statuettes (Best Director and Best Picture for both Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) and an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood remains synonymous with his on-screen persona while his talents as a filmmaker are […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director Jason Reitman… Trading the doctor’s stethoscope for the director’s chair, Jason Reitman found his accomplishments being weighed against those of a famous Hollywood filmmaker. “Recently, I’ve been thinking about how my work and my father’s work compared,” reflected Jason about Ivan Reitman, the man responsible for the comic […]

In which Gerry Hayes repeatedly mouths the word “huh?” 88 Minutes, 2007. Directed by Jon Avnet. Starring Al Pacino (really), Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brennerman, Neal McDonough. Written by Gary Scott Thompson. 88 Minutes is one of those films you watch open-mouthed wondering how such a thing could ever be – how someone could […]

Dorian Gray, 2009. Directed by Oliver Parker. Starring Ben Barnes and Colin Firth. SYNOPSIS: Think Peter Pan meets Dr Faustus – oh, and a painting – and a lot of maggots… Another devil and soul barter! Why is this absurd premise attractive and a plot of many stories? It’s set to feature in Terry Gilliam’s […]

Moon, 2009. Directed by Duncan Jones. Starring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey (voice). SYNOPSIS: An isolated lunar astronaut begins to lose his grip on reality in a cerebral sci-fi thriller. Moon is an independent sci-fi film directed by Duncan Jones (the son of David Bowie… that’s not relevant at all, just an interesting fact!). It […]