Tom Jolliffe looks at the two films that most typify John Cusack’s qualities, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity… Top five John Cusack films? Well, Say Anything has got to be there. Perhaps the thoroughly underrated Grifters? What else? Being John Malkovich has got to be in the running too. During Cusack’s rising years in […]
Essential Japanese Horror Movies
Tom Jolliffe offers up some essential Japanese horror movies… When it comes to horror cinema across Asia, Japan in particular has had a long association and skill with the genre. The early 00’s boom in particular saw a huge interest in Japanese horror, but long before some of these iconic films like The Grudge or Dark […]
The Essential Missing Person Movies
Tom Jolliffe looks at 10 essential films about the search for a missing person… There are a number of sub-genres in the thriller and drama genre which I love. One such type, is the missing person film. A film which is driven by the search for the missing person(s). There have been many great films […]
The A-Z of Action Movies: I-L
In the latest instalment of our action A-Z, Tom Jolliffe offers up a selection of films from I to L… Coming to a midpoint in our action A-Z, something becomes clear. I have seen way too many action films. Let’s face it, all you need is Die Hard repeated ad nauseam. That said, for carnage […]
Richard Donner’s massive contribution to my love of cinema
Tom Jolliffe looks back at the late Richard Donner’s career and pays tribute to a director who made millions fall in love with cinema… You’ll believe a man can fly! It was the promise which preceded the release of Superman, the first major movie adaptation of a comic book character. This was a key moment. […]
Cinema Might Just Be Back!
Tom Jolliffe looks at the hopeful signs of recovery for the theatrical industry thanks to F9 and Black Widow… Don’t call it a comeback! Okay…maybe quietly whisper it, but cinema might just be back. An industry that has struggled to adapt to restrictions and reinvention, to full on lockdowns (and closing), to rescheduling of big […]
Watching the Watcher: Voyeurs in Cinema
Tom Jolliffe on the fascination of watching the watcher in cinema… The voyeur in cinema. It’s been a common recurring character. What is the fascination? Why does it become so involving as a viewer, with our own voyeurs gaze on a characters life, when the protagonist becomes pre-occupied with watching someone else? Watching the watcher, […]
Searching for Yourself: When the Detective Must Journey Within to Discover They Are the Culprit
Tom Jolliffe looks at the search for self in cinema, when repression, mental illness or physical ailments blind a protagonist from the chilling truth… they are the villain. I love a cinematic Detective yarn. A typically weary, clearly damaged protagonist is sent on a mission to find an elusive figure, be it a murderer, or […]
The A-Z of Action Movies: M-Q
As we continue are A-Z of action, we bring you a selection of entries from M-Q… Explosions, fist fights, one liners and quite a lot of mullets. We’re getting toward the business end of an action A-Z, hitting the middle ground toward the home straight. More carnage will ensue and we’ve all got bigger biceps […]
Will Ghostbusters: Afterlife be the perfect balance of old and new?
Tom Jolliffe on Ghostbusters: Afterlife so far, and whether it can perfectly balance old school nostalgia with modern blockbuster trends… It feels like Ghostbusters: Afterlife should have been and gone long ago. The dust should have cleared and we should all know, whether it would capture the magic of the original, or prove as disappointingly […]
