Flickering Myth

Film & TV News, Reviews and Features

Cinema of 1980: Blockbusters Take Over

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Tom Jolliffe looks back at 1980, a key turning point in cinema…After a decade that began with an overwhelming air of pessimist cinema, the end of the 70’s would mark the beginnings of a significant turn around in box office tastes.By 1980 Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were household names. Star Wars, Jaws and Close […]

When Mickey Rourke Almost Ruled Cinema

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Tom Jolliffe looks back at the early career of Mickey Rourke…When you think back through cinema you can easily think of an array of icons. Brando, Stewart, De Niro, Pacino… I could go on. The role of Acting Deity includes being a point of comparison. When De Niro first broke through he was quickly lauded […]

Blumhouse: Leading the Way with Sustainable Genre Film Production

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Tom Jolliffe looks at Blumhouse Productions and the success and sustainability of its business model…When it comes to box office discussion, it seems to revolve around the success or failure of the huge tentpole films. Was Birds of Prey a flop? Did The Rise of Skywalker flop? Can Avengers: Endgame be matched again in the […]

The Matrix 4: Can It Work?

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Tom Jolliffe on The Matrix 4…2019 signalled a number of cinematic anniversaries and milestones. It was after all, the year of Blade Runner (the setting of the original film). It also marked the 20 year anniversary of a certain Keanu Reeves-led film that revolutionised visual effects and re-galvanised a sci-fi genre that was suffering from […]

Why the No Time To Die delay is a good thing

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Tom Jolliffe looks at the positives with the delay of No Time To Die…It seems like Daniel Craig’s final Bond film has been somewhat tarnished over the years. It’s not been the luckiest production that’s for sure. A lot of money has already been wasted on getting underway as a Danny Boyle film, only for […]

Films about Film

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Tom Jolliffe takes a look at films about film…The magic of cinema. A wonderful escape from the rigours of modern life, or a microscope onto the worst issues we might face. Escapism, realism, thrills or dramatic truth, whatever your desire, is covered.The very process in making film is also in equal measures magical, frustrating, sometimes […]

Revisiting the Universal Soldier Franchise

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Tom Jolliffe revisits the Universal Soldier franchise…With today’s home entertainment release of director Roland Emmerich’s WWII epic Midway, now seems a good time to revisit the original Universal Soldier, and the eclectic sequels the director’s 1992 sci-fi action film spawned.Universal SoldierThe early 90’s. In the wake of Terminator 2: Judgment Day came Universal Soldier. It […]

Pandemic Box Office Fallout

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Tom Jolliffe looks at the potential box office fallout in the wake of the coronavirus…You may have noticed in the news that a virus has swept the globe. Depending on what resources you choose to source your information, it’s either the oncoming biblical plague which will lead to our apocalypse, or it’s just a bit […]

Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2010 Repression Double Bill: Inception and Shutter Island

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Tom Jolliffe double bills Inception and Shutter Island… In my latest double bill we’re gonna kick it back a nice round decade to 2010. Leonardo DiCaprio, much as he still is, was one of the biggest stars on the planet. He wasn’t new to working with Martin Scorsese at this point and earlier in the year […]