This week Neil Calloway wonders why Britain doesn’t make films based on comics… As someone who usually bemoans the apparent abundance of sequels and comic book adaptations, I was disappointed to hear Alex Garland’s announcement this week that there would not be a sequel to the 2012 film Dredd. Not just because I liked the […]
The Callow Way – On the changing face of the global box office
This week Neil Calloway looks at box office statistics from around the world… Earlier this week Flickering Myth reported on the Motion Picture Association of America Theatrical Market Statistics with the headline “Transformers: Age of Extinction officially better than The LEGO Movie…” it was true of, course, in terms of audience appeal; Michael Bay’s film […]
The Callow Way – Why We Need Product Placement
This week Neil Calloway looks at the benefits of brands appearing in films… I thought the peak of award season was always the Oscars, and I imagine you did too. Turns out I’m wrong; there is also the Brandcameo Product Placement Awards. Given out yearly, the awards “honour” films for their use of brands, and […]
The Callow Way – Why Jack Black Was Right…
This week Neil Calloway unexpectedly finds himself in agreement with the guy from Tenacious D… It pains me to say it, but Jack Black had a point. During his interjection into the opening song of last week’s Oscars, Black jokingly bemoaned the current state of cinema, complaining about sequels, prequels and comic book movies. It’s […]
The Calloway Way – Why The New Alien Movie Might Disappoint
This week Neil Calloway is wary of Neill Blomkamp’s Alien film… When Neill Blomkamp released some of the artwork for his proposed Alien film, I was impressed – concept art for science fiction films is often better than the films themselves – and mentally filed it in my “great unmade films” drawer. It sat there […]
The Callow Way – Why Awards Season Doesn’t Matter
Neil Calloway says that whoever wins this award season, it might not make a difference to their career… The Directors Guild of America Awards and the BAFTAs were last weekend, the Oscars are next weekend, we are right in the middle of award season. I hope you’re keeping your best dress or tuxedo clean. Whether […]
The Calloway Way – A Record Year at the UK Box Office?
This week Neil Calloway looks at the recently released figures for UK film in 2014… This week the BFI research and statistics unit released figures for the UK box office in 2014. The good news is that it was a record year for UK films in 2014. The bad news is that UK cinema admissions […]
The Callow Way – The Possible Future of Cinema?
This week Neil Calloway looks at two new technologies that could change our film-going experience… If you go to watch Kingsman: The Secret Service in Milton Keynes this weekend, you might be in for a surprise if your seat starts shaking. Don’t worry, it’s not an earthquake, but you’re watching a 4D release of the […]
The Callow Way – Why We Like Special Forces Movies
This week Neil Calloway looks why American Sniper is breaking box office records… I’ve read a lot about American Sniper since it was released; about the fake plastic babies it uses instead of real children, about how Michael Moore said snipers were cowards (and then backtracked and said he liked the film), about how it […]
The Callow Way – Why aren’t there more female directors?
This week Neil Calloway looks at the lack of women behind the camera in Hollywood… This week, a report by San Diego State University revealed that only 7% of the films in 2014’s top 250 highest grossing list were directed by women. That works out at 17 films, with only one film in the top […]
