Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

The Back to School Comedy

by

Tom Jolliffe looks at comedic actors putting themselves back to school for laughs… The comedy genre is reliant on its situations. Take a comedian, place them into a scenario with comedic potential, and all being well, you’ve got yourself some fried gold. From mismatched partners on a caper, to a protagonist being thrown into a […]

Conan the Barbarian: An underrated work of art which ushered in a decade of imitators

by

Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at Conan The Barbarian, often overlooked for its artistic merits… There were a number of archetypal films which became popular during the 80’s. Some fads lasted longer than others, whilst some died out. The success of First Blood (but more-so Part 2) would usher in a stream of one […]

Le Tigre: The Dolph Lundgren/Andrzej Zulawski Film That Never Was

by

Tom Jolliffe looks back at Le Tigre. A film that never was with the strange combination of Dolph Lundgren and director Andrzej Zulawski… Cinema is absolutely loaded with films that came tantalisingly close to seeing the light of day before falling at the final hurdle. Even this year will bring us a new Bond film, […]

An Action Star’s Worst Nightmare: Kids

by

Tom Jolliffe looks back at the now long standing tradition of the action star having to tackle their toughest foe – children… When you think of some of your favourite action heroes of the last 30+ years, we’ve seen them take on all comers. They’ve fought terrorists, criminals, sometimes beings from other worlds, but their […]

Cops and Cowboys: Clint Eastwood at 90

by

Tom Jolliffe looks back at Clint Eastwood’s most iconic roles as the movie legend turns 90… A movie icon. He has become, perhaps alongside John Wayne, the most iconic of movie cowboys. That stoic scowl and intense whispered drawl. Clint Eastwood became the quiet, rugged and imposing tough guy, long before they spread into a […]

A Lasting Final Shot

by

Tom Jolliffe looks at the power a film’s final shot can have… There are many aspects that will make a piece of cinema stay long in your mind. You give yourself over to a film sometimes. It sweeps you away. Moments leave particularly strong and inedible impressions. One thing that many films will strive for […]

Runaway Train: From Russian Arthouse to The Cannon Group

by

Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at one of Cannon’s finest, Runaway Train… If you’re not familiar with the output of a certain iconic independent studio that were prolific in the 80’s, then chances are, of a certain age you probably saw or heard about a number of their films. It might be Masters of […]

A Turn of the Century Cockney Gangster Double Bill

by

Tom Jolliffe double bills two cockney gangster films from the turn of the century in The Limey and Sexy Beast… Toward the end of the last century, leading into the new one, the British gangster film really seemed to take off again. We saw the emergence of a number of significant exponents of the genre, […]

No Laughing! When Comedians Get Serious

by

Tom Jolliffe looks at when comedic actors take on more challenging (and sometimes darker) material… When you’re a star renowned for a particular genre, it can be hard to break out of that. Over the years, many a comedy star has become synonymous with churning out an array of comedy vehicles. It’s often easier to […]