Tom Jolliffe on the rise of Anya Taylor-Joy and just how far she could go… Have you seen The Queen’s Gambit? Have you? What about you? You must see The Queen’s Gambit (and repeat ad nauseum). The latest water cooler TV show that only a few sad wretches haven’t yet seen is making waves across […]
Grief, depression, guilt and mortality in Maborosi
Tom Jolliffe looks back at Hirokazu Kore-eda’s debut narrative feature Maborosi from 1995 – a masterclass in the art of subtle, meditative storytelling… Hirokazu Koreeda struck a huge chord worldwide in recent years with the acclaimed Shoplifters. A melancholic, gritty and charming depiction of family and class. It travelled well outside of his native Japan […]
A look back at the original Bourne trilogy
Tom Jolliffe looks back at the original Jason Bourne trilogy, its impact on action cinema, and whether it still holds up… At a time when the Bond franchise was growing tired, and a slew of over the top action films attempted to have either edge or attitude (xXx) or riff on The Matrix, another franchise […]
Back to 1991: Ten Essential Movies from Thirty Years Ago
Tom Jolliffe ventures back 30 years to look at 10 essential films from the year 1991… If it was depressing enough realising 2001 was 20 years ago, how about pondering a little on the fact 1991 is now 30 years ago. It’s terrifying how quickly time has flown. Still, whilst it’s with some melancholy that […]
Why Writers are Such Popular Protagonists
Tom Jolliffe on what makes writers a popular choice for a protagonist… There are many popular archetypes for a cinema protagonist. How often do you see a cop as the lead character in a film? It’s a regular character choice, particularly in action and thriller films. Almost every protagonist needs some kind of vocation I […]
Seconds with Eddie Murphy: Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Another 48 Hours
Tom Jolliffe looks back at Eddie Murphy’s first two sequels, Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Another 48 Hours… With Eddie Murphy hitting the comeback trail recently, and venturing back to sequel territory with Coming 2 America, now’s a good time to look back at the beginnings of The Murphy Sequel. The standup comedian turned actor […]
Is Hollywood going to lose a golden goose in China?
Tom Jolliffe looks at an evolving landscape in Chinese cinema, a market that pre-pandemic, had Hollywood seeing dollar signs… Hollywood still remains the hub of cinema around the world. As an entity it churns out money spinning blockbusters across America, and across the world. For a long time the US market seemed to be far […]
Simu Liu praises Destin Daniel Cretton’s Marvel upgrade to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty director
As Destin Daniel Cretton moves onto Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, what does that mean for his Marvel introductory character Shang-Chi? If you ask actor Simu Liu, the man who starred in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Cretton is a perfect choice for the job of reassembling Earth’s Mightiest Heroes – which may […]
Meet Robert Downey Jr.’s father in trailer for Netflix documentary Sr.
We’re all aware of his Infinity Gauntlet sporting son Robert Downey Jr., for both his off and on-screen antics, but now Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond and American Movie documentarian Chris Smith has created an intimate portrait of the man responsible for that famous suffix, his father Robert Downey Sr. Shot over the course […]
Movie Review – Both Sides of the Blade (2022)
Both Sides of the Blade, 2022. Directed by Claire Denis. Starring Juliette Binoche, Vincent Lindon, Grégoire Colin, Mati Diop, Hana Magimel, Bulle Ogier, and Issa Perica. SYNOPSIS: A love triangle story about a woman caught between two men, her long-time partner and his best friend, her former lover. In a tender dialogue-free opening set to […]
