Tom Jolliffe looks at the weird wonders of cinema… There are pretty standard films when it comes to cinema. It could be straight horror (masked killer stalks teens) or Die Hard formula (terrorists take over something, everyman hero stops them). Sometimes a film lowdown tells you everything you need to know about what you’re about […]
Mark Hamill and Eric Roberts Hitch a Ride: A VHS-Era Double Bill
Tom Jolliffe looks back at a couple of video era films about nefarious hitchhikers, The Nature of The Beast and Midnight Ride… ‘My mother told me never to do this.’ Words of wisdom foolishly ignored by Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) in the 1986 Rutger Hauer classic, The Hitcher. Halsey picked up a hitchhiker and […]
When Jim Carrey Was a Revelation
Tom Jolliffe looks back the emergence of Jim Carrey, who ruled comedy from the mid-late 90’s… It was 1993/94. I was at the cinema to see a film with a friend. For the life of me, I cannot remember what film it was. It was something comedic, but by the time we came out of […]
The Christopher Nolan Paradox
From the luxury of total indulgence to some of the most forgiving and reasonable fans, why Christopher Nolan has it made as a director… He’s one of the best directors of his generation. He leads the way in some ground-breaking technology, whilst being a staunch supporter of old fashioned ways (whether that is shooting on […]
Taxi Driver at 45
Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at Scorsese’s inimitable masterpiece Taxi Driver as it turns 45… You may look back on a number of films considered greats of their day. Some will inevitably age or lose their impact. Maybe they’ll look rough around the edges or decidedly quaint in their style. Others, year upon year, […]
10 Essential Private Eye Movies
Tom Jolliffe offers up 10 essential private investigator movies… The humble Dick. I mean P.I of course. Private Investigator. They often operate on a perilous high wire between law and unlawful. When the police have given up or are hamstrung by the book, the P.I can go that extra mile, or indeed focus entirely on […]
Tiger Claws II: The Lunar New Year Film to See
With Lunar New Year upon us, Tom Jolliffe looks back at an oddball straight-to-video opus set over Chinese New Year… We’re into the year of the Ox. Across the world many people have been celebrating the Lunar New Year, whether it’s their cultural norm, or whether they’ve been allured by a supermarket promotion to give […]
Broken Arrow at 25
Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at John Woo’s somewhat forgotten sophomore Hollywood effort, Broken Arrow, which turns 25… Remember Broken Arrow? Memory a bit hazy? Well John Woo’s second Hollywood film, a box office hit at the time, turns 25. In 1996 we were seeing a decided shift away from the kind of heroics […]
The Joy of a Loving 4K Restoration
Tom Jolliffe on the joy of a loving 4K restoration… In cinema, there’s a progressive fascination with new fangled technology. With every passing year, new tech and new kit is released leaving those with a technological fascination slobbering in anticipation. If you’re a filmmaker with any passing eye upon breaking Netflix you know that the […]
Greenland: How to breath life into a tired genre and defy expectations
Tom Jolliffe looks at one of the surprise critical successes of the year, Greenland… Remember when there seemed to be a new disaster film out every 6 months? Some world ending disaster, either natural or extra-terrestrial, would put the fate of mankind in the balance. The CGI tools at the disposal of filmmakers also meant […]
