Tom Jolliffe ventures back 40 years to explore the cinematic landscape of 1982… 1982 was a great year for films. It could well be argued too that 1982 might well be one of the finest years in cinema history. There’s an array of blockbuster hits, cult films, iconic films and initially maligned genre films now […]
Incredible Movie Opening Scenes That Hooked the Audience
Tom Jolliffe looks at 15 great movie openings which hook the audience immediately… Audiences are a difficult bunch to please sometimes. A film’s goal is to grab the attention of viewers and hold them until the final credits roll. In the age of streaming and a lust for instant gratification, where Tik Tok videos all […]
Arnold’s Next Progression: Time to Hit Netflix?
After recent theatrical disappointments, is it time for Arnold Schwarzenegger to go to the streaming platforms? When Arnold Schwarzenegger took his political sabbatical from the movie world, he’d come off a string of disappointments. Time out seemed like a potentially good idea. His post-politics return wasn’t even a foregone conclusion (albeit highly probable). His send […]
Conan the Barbarian: An underrated work of art which ushered in a decade of imitators
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 […]
How Schwarzenegger Reigned Supreme in the Action Genre
As Arnold Schwarzenegger turns 73, Tom Jolliffe looks back at the period where the Austrian Oak ruled action cinema, with an eye for quality material… As Arnold Schwarzenegger turns another year older, now would be a good time to look back to an era of global box office domination, and cult appeal in the action […]
Netflix and Conan the Barbarian: What We’d Like to See
Tom Jolliffe offers his two cents on the potential of Netflix bringing Conan back to screens… For years fans of Conan The Barbarian have waited with baited breath for the potential of a new film. Most predominantly among those, there has been a particular clamour for Arnold Schwarzenegger to return to the role which broke him […]
15 Great Cinematic Journeys
Tom Jolliffe offers up 15 great cinematic journeys… When it comes to cinema, the very best films will grab the audience and keep us gripped throughout the runtime. Every character goes on a particular journey that can be literal and/or metaphorical. Those literal epic journeys which might see hobbits on a quest to take a […]
The Greatest 80s Fantasy Film Scores
Tom Jolliffe looks at back a great selection of 80’s fantasy film scores… The 80’s was a grand age for fantasy films. Swords, sorcery, wizards, witches, warriors and battles of good versus evil. Some films were great. Others in the well fed genre were not so great, but back then, many still went all out […]
Northman the Barbarian: How Conan Courses Through The Northman
Tom Jolliffe looks at the similarities between The Northman and Conan the Barbarian. Spoilers follow… After success and masses of acclaim for his small scale masterworks The Witch and The Lighthouse, director Robert Eggers went large scale in his third outing. The Northman is a big budget Viking revenge epic. In every way, it’s the […]
Titan Comics acquires Conan the Barbarian license with new series launching in 2023
Conan the Barbarian will soon be saying goodbye to the Marvel Universe and his Savage Avengers buddies, as Titan Comics has announced that it has acquired the comic book license for Robert E. Howard’s legendary character and will begin publishing new Conan comics, graphic novels and remastered archives beginning in 2023. Produced in partnership with […]
