Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at Orion Pictures… There are several things that happen before a film begins. If you’re at the cinema, or if you remember watching through VHS in particular (and still with some DVD/Blu-rays), you’ll sit through some trailers. Then once they pass comes those recognisable logos from distributors and production […]
Let Fate Curate: A Pot Luck Double Bill
Tom Jolliffe randomly selected two films to double bill. Were the movie Gods cruel or kind? I enjoy a cinematic adventure. Occasionally I want to slip out of the comfort of a pre-ordained choice, or considered selection. I’ve made blindfold selections at second hand DVD stores (UK readers will know of these shrines as CEX) […]
Ennio Morricone: Timeless Work and Defining a Genre
Tom Jolliffe on the timeless work of the late, great Ennio Morricone… Alongside the visual imagery in a film, the accompanying music has an ability to work in perfect unison to boost the emotional impact of a sequence. Sometimes a score can enhance a scene, or the music overall can take a picture up a […]
Harrison Ford at 78: The Ultimate Movie Star
As Harrison Ford turns 78, Tom Jolliffe looks back at his career and an unmatched output of iconic roles… Harrison Ford needs little introduction. His place in cinema history is more than assured. Actors will strive to play a memorable role. Something that could potentially become iconic. To do it once is amazing enough, but […]
Let Fate Curate: A random double bill of Meteor Storm and The Joneses
Tom Jolliffe leaves a double bill up to the hands of fate… Having survived my last double bill which I left to the will of the cinema Gods, I decided to go back for more. I lucked out first time with an enjoyable and engaging selection with Dating Amber and Circle. I do enjoy the […]
Cinema’s Groundbreakers – Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho
Continuing our look at groundbreaking cinema, Tom Jolliffe revisits Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho… When listing some of the greatest directors of all time, a name that may pop up with regularity during the discussions, is Alfred Hitchcock. A master craftsman and impeccable weaver of enthralling stories, Hitchcock had already delivered a string of masterpieces which still […]
Movie Review – Choke (2020)
Choke, 2020. Directed by Gregory Hatanaka. Starring Shane Ryan, Scott Butler, Sarah Brine, Lisa London and Sal Landi. SYNOPSIS The lines between reality and fiction, and good and bad blur when both a nihilistic detective and a serial killer’s affairs with a mysterious girl overlap. When actor/director/all round auteur Shane Ryan decided to shoot Amateur Porn […]
More Old Films Back at the Cinema Please
Tom Jolliffe hopes there’s an increased willingness to re-release old films at the cinema… As we step out of lock-down and cinemas around the world re-open, we’re in a period where damage assessment is required. After all, for three months in the US, UK and China, some of the biggest world wide markets, audiences have […]
Modern Westerns from Down Under: Red Hill and Mystery Road
Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at a couple of recent modern westerns from Australia… The Western has evolved through the decades. Period Westerns grew out of fashion by the 70’s, whilst crime thrillers would occasionally take on well known Western tropes. All those kind of tropes of lawman vs lawless, the expansive scope cinematography, […]
The Weasel is Back: The Return of Pauly Shore
Tom Jolliffe looks at the upcoming comedy Guest House, which sees a significant return to film for Pauly Shore… 2020 has been a strange year. Kanye West is currently running for President. A guy ate a pangolin which may or may not have caused an pandemic (depending on which theory, or conspiracy theory you believe). […]
