Naked, 1993. Directed by Mike Leigh. Starring David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp and Ewen Bremner. SYNOPSIS: Naked follows Johnny (Thewlis) a highly articulate and intelligent loner who drifts through the backstreets of London taking part in violent sex, living on the streets and eloquently engaging everyone in conversation to completely different reactions from each stranger. Naked […]
Cult Classics – Commando (1985)
Commando, 1985. Directed by Mark L. Lester. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Vernon Wells. SYNOPSIS: In a race against time, a retired special forces commando must track down his daughter’s kidnappers and gain revenge on the exiled dictator of a small South American country. Catapulted to stardom following the success of James Cameron’s sci-fi […]
Classic Movies – The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Night of the Iguana, 1964. Directed by John Huston. Starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon. SYNOPSIS: A tense drama revolving around a defrocked American minister and the three highly-emotional women who enter his life when he heads for Mexico, seeking a new start as a tour operator. After being defrocked from […]
Five Essential… Films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Richard J. Moir selects his Five Essential Films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet… 5. The City of Lost Children (1995) Dark, stylish and quirky as anything you’ve ever seen before, this is a truly original film. In a futuristic city, a scientist named Krank uses the help of his clones to kidnap children and steal their dreams, […]
Classic Movies – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946. Directed by Frank Capra. Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. SYNOPSIS: On the verge of suicide after finding out he might be bankrupt, George Bailey is visited by guardian angel Clarence on a mission to save George’s life, thereby getting his angel wings. Clarence displays to George what […]
Five Essential… British Movies
In a new column, Richard J. Moir selects his Five Essential British Movies… 5. The Full Monty (1997, dir. Peter Cattaneo) The Full Monty is the film you heard about when you were a child, but were far too young to know anything about. When I finally got round to watching it, I was half […]
Knowing Screenwriters Talk Birds and Poltergeist Remakes
Fresh off the success of sci-fi thriller Knowing, which opened in first place at the U.S. box-office this past weekend, screenwriting couple Juliet Snowden and Stiles White have been talking to The Wrap about their upcoming projects – remakes of both The Birds and Poltergeist. Acknowledging fans’ concern towards these new versions of the classic […]
World Cinema – The 400 Blows (1959)
The 400 Blows, 1959. Directed by François Truffaut. Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud. SYNOPSIS: The 400 Blows follows normal adolescent boy Antoine Doinel as he struggles to contend with all authority figures in his life, from schoolteachers to parents. As we are invited into this character study of Antoine it becomes increasingly clear that he is already […]
John Wayne: World War II Propagandist
Santosh Sandhu profiles the career of silver-screen legend John Wayne and examines the influence of World War II on his body of work… John Wayne (1907-1979) was the very embodiment of everything America would like to be. Jingoistic, brave, forthright and a fierce defender of the American way of life. After shooting to fame playing […]
British Cinema – Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)
Dead Man’s Shoes, 2004. Directed by Shane Meadows. Starring Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch and Toby Kebbel. SYNOPSIS: Richard, an intense loner and former soldier, returns to his native Midlands village seeking vengeance against the small-time drug dealers who cruelly bullied his mentally disabled brother Anthony while he was away on duty. Richard’s determination to achieve […]
