Tom Jolliffe looks at the recent demands for director’s cuts with Justice League and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker… A film comes out. The director hits the press circuit prior and things seem to be rosy. The film comes out and is greeted with derision. Suddenly there are growing calls for a directors cut. […]
There’s just one blockbuster to get excited for in 2020: The year of Tenet
Tom Jolliffe looks ahead to Tenet, and why it stands head and shoulders over every other tentpole release in 2020… With the Disney machine making record money this year even before they’d fired out Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to a public who seemed to go with a half-hearted, sleepwalking obligation over a fiery […]
Mann, Refn and the Safdies: Mastering Neo-Noir
Tom Jolliffe looks at a few examples of classic neo-noirs… Dark tales in rain sodden streets with the glistening neons of a big City. There comes that inevitable moment. A wrong choice, the self-destructive move to an inescapable corner. The neo-noir, the resurrection of the classic film noir genre that typified much of 30’s-50’s cinema. […]
The Directors We Love to Hate
Tom Jolliffe takes a look at some of cinemas most hated directors… When all is said and done with a film, everything boils down to one thing: The individuals verdict. You’ll love films, you’ll hate them, you’ll be totally indifferent to some. This then rings true of individual aspects in a film, from cast, to […]
Arnold’s Next Progression: Time to Hit Netflix?
After recent theatrical disappointments, is it time for Arnold Schwarzenegger to go to the streaming platforms? When Arnold Schwarzenegger took his political sabbatical from the movie world, he’d come off a string of disappointments. Time out seemed like a potentially good idea. His post-politics return wasn’t even a foregone conclusion (albeit highly probable). His send […]
Cinema’s Most Awful Adverts for Marriage
Tom Jolliffe looks at cinema’s most awful depictions of married life… With your best Peter Cook impression, repeat after me…’Marriage (or mawiage)…’ That holiest of unions where a couple ties the knot and themselves together, in theory, for the rest of their days. There has been many a depiction of marriage in the entertainment industry. Al […]
Why Birds of Prey looks like the comic book film to watch in 2020
Tom Jolliffe looks ahead to Birds of Prey and why it’s the most eye-catching comic book film of 2020 at the moment… 2020 is in its infancy and the blockbuster bombardment is due to start shortly. In a year that will see more Marvel adventures (in the beginnings of a new phase, which opens with […]
A24: Fighting to keep cinema engaging and promoting diversity
Tom Jolliffe looks at the growing impact of A24 and why they’re the best thing in cinema right now…. The widening grip of Disney expands almost every year. They can seemingly rest a little on their laurels having generally found a formula that works with minimal boundaries pushed, or need for innovative dramatic ideas. Whilst […]
Parasite and Snowpiercer: Class divides with Bong Joon Ho
In the first of new series of features, Tom Jolliffe suggests a class-themed double bill of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite and Snowpiercer… The beauty of cinema is how so many films can form a connective strand with others. Sometimes it can be a film-makers penchant for a similar message between a couple of films, or […]
Cinema of 1970: A Significant Cinematic Shift
Tom Jolliffe delves back into the cinema of 1970… It’s hard to believe it but 1970 was fifty years ago. Half a century! What defined that year was a significant shift in cinematic tastes. As the swinging 60’s passed, and the 70’s began, the year itself in cinema perfectly encapsulates the change in audience tastes […]
