Andy Pope discusses the representation of the skinhead sub-culture in Shane Meadows’ This Is England… Shane Meadows’ recent announcement that he is currently filming a sequel to his 2006 film This is England comes as no surprise to those of us who have watched with growing interest the amount of time British television and cinema […]

Trevor Hogg profiles the career of legendary director Stanley Kubrick in the first of a two-part feature… When the teenage Stanley Kubrick stepped behind a camera lens he discovered a vast world of opportunity. “I worked for Look Magazine from the age of seventeen to twenty-one,” remarked the legendary filmmaker, of his time as a […]

Dirty Dancing star passes away aged 57… Actor Patrick Swayze has died in his LA home on Monday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze – who shot to stardom in the 1987 hit Dirty Dancing – had continued to work since announcing his illness in March 2008, and is survived by his wife […]

Following on from ‘Beatles Week’, which has seen digitally remastered re-releases of the Fab Four’s album catalogue in addition to the rather splendid The Beatles: Rock Band music game, news comes that Walt Disney Studios and director Robert Zemeckis are planning a 3D motion-capture animation remake of the 1968 classic Yellow Submarine. The press release […]

In which Gerry Hayes wishes he’d stayed at home and argued with his wife for two hours as it would have been less stressful… The Break Up, 2006. Directed by Peyton Reed. Starring Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston. Screenplay by Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender. Take one gritty, depressing, kitchen-sink drama, light it a little more […]

Jon Dudley reviews Nick Love’s latest, The Firm, along with footage from the London premiere… The Firm, 2009. Directed by Nick Love. Starring Calum McNab and Paul Anderson. SYNOPSIS: Dom, a young wannabe football casual, gets drawn into the charismatic but dangerous world of the firm’s top boy, Bex. Accepted for the fast mouth and […]

In the third of a series of articles examining the various screen incarnations of George Lucas’ Star Wars saga, we focus on the final instalment of the Imperial trilogy, Episode VI – Return of the Jedi… Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, 1983. Directed by Richard Marquand. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, […]

The Green Butchers, 2003. Directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas. SYNOPSIS: A depressed stoner and his highly strung friend set up a failing butchers shop, only for success to come when they stop selling chicken and start using human. As anti-heroes go, a disturbed stoner and an anxious psychotic […]

With her latest critically acclaimed film The Hurt Locker recently hitting UK screens, Trevor Hogg profiles the career of director Kathryn Bigelow… During the late 1970s, a member of the conceptual-art group Art and Language, decided to trade in her canvas for a much larger one. “Whereas painting is a more rarefied art form with […]

Raining Stones, 1993. Directed by Ken Loach. Starring Bruce Jones, Ricky Tomlinson and Julie Brown. SYNOPSIS: Bob Williams (Bruce Jones) is an honest grafter stuck on the dole, constantly trying to grab hold of any bit of work that comes his way. When Bob refuses to accept second best for his daughter’s Holy Communion, he […]