From the moment that Benicio del Toro (Sin City) and Edgar Ramirez (Elite Squad) were linked to the role of the villain in Star Trek Into Darkness, the fact that Chris Pine’s Kirk would find himself up against his nemesis Khan Noonien Singh in the sequel to the 2009 reboot was perhaps the worst kept […]

The Innocents, 1961. Directed by Jack Clayton.Starring Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Michael Redgrave,Clytie Jessop,  Pamela Franklin and Martin Stephens. SYNOPSIS: A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted. Is it real or is it all in your mind? When Deborah Kerr’s Governess takes on the position […]

Arriving this Christmas at 7:30pm on BBC One  is the final Doctor Who adventure for Matt Smith as both he and Jenna Coleman (The Impossible Girl) bring our Christmas spirit to a rather unhappy ending with ‘The Time of the Doctor’.  After four years at the rickety controls of the TARDIS, Smith will be handing […]

Simon Columb reviews About Schmidt from BFI Southbank’s Alexander Payne retrospective… About Schmidt is about America. Jack Nicholson is front and centre in Alexander Payne’s 2002 dramatic comedy about a man coping with retirement and the loss of his wife. As Election became a bigger and bolder statement about democracy, About Schmidt is a reflection […]

Thomas Harris reviews Sideways… Sideways is arguably Alexander Payne’s most conventional film. However, under the guise of a different director, the film could have been conventional in a mundane way, however, through his deft eye for realism, Sideways is one of few American classics released in the noughties. Impeccably acted, witty and incredibly gentle, the […]

Simon Columb reviews Election from BFI Southbank’s Alexander Payne retrospective… Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. So the age-old saying goes. Election, Alexander Payne’s second feature, hit cinema screens in 1999 and immediately found a fan-base by deconstructing this mantra and showing it in all its school-emblem colours. Kicking off Reese Witherspoon’s career […]

Sherlock returns to BBC One on New Year’s Day at 9pm for the first of a three episode run starring amongst others Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, and Una Stubbs. The big question which has led to so many forum/pub/front room arguments is how did Sherlock (Cumberbatch) managed to survive his plummet to the […]

After the box-office success of this year’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Jon M. Chu is currently hard at work with screenwriter Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman, Divergent) developing the story for the as-yet-untitled G.I. Joe 3. The director has previously discussed the possibility of Rachel Nichols’ Scarlett returning after sitting out the second movie, and now […]

Commenting on the Critics with Simon Columb… This week, The Dissolve writes about the new 100 Alamo Movies list: “The company currently has 18 theaters and plans to open another five next year. Seven of the 100, including Brazil, Monty Python And The Holy Grail, and Raiders Of The Lost Ark, will be shown in […]

Luke Graham with four Christmas comedown movies… The holidays are a magic time of year, with snowflakes, miracles and family cheer. For many people, the Christmas and New Year period are the highlights of their year. Well, enough of that. Now that it’s January, it’s time to get back to real world. Here are four […]