Tom Jolliffe offers up a selection of unsettling cinema that are guaranteed to creep you out… Every film has a particular D.N.A. Within this cinematic coding it can feature elements synonymous with a particular genre, or techniques to give the film an overriding tone. For horror, the film-makers could mould their film in a variety […]
James Caan’s Finest Hour: Thief
We look back at the iconic work of the late, great James Caan and take a deep dive into the underrated neo-noir masterpiece Thief, with Caan at his fiery, mesmeric best… The sad news has broken. Another cinematic icon has left us, leaving behind an awe inspiring legacy. James Caan for a time, was synonymous […]
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 […]
Misery at 30: Why the story of an obsessive superfan is even more potent three decades on
With Rob Reiner’s thriller celebrating its 30th anniversary, George Nash looks at the alarming relevance of Misery in the modern era… Movies, and perhaps most patently horror movies, are like mirrors. For well over a century, in the familiar setting of the living room or dark sanctuary of the multiplex, in the perceived safety of […]
October Horrors 2020 – Misery (1990)
Misery, 1990. Directed by Rob Reiner. Starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen and Lauren Bacall. SYNOPSIS: After a car crash, successful novelist Paul Sheldon is rescued by Annie Wilkes, an eccentric woman who is Paul’s “number one fan”. As he recovers from his injuries, Paul quickly discovers that far from being rescued, […]
This Is Rob Reiner: The Greatest Ever Movie Streak?
James McDonagh on Rob Reiner… Ever wondered why the volume control on the BBC iPlayer goes up to eleven? If you’re not sure, then the chances are that you’ve yet to see one of the greatest comedies ever made, This Is Spinal Tap, from 1984. While it was far from being the first ‘mockumentary’, it […]
The Best Stephen King Movie Adaptations
EJ Moreno on the best Stephen King movies… After 40 years and 100 adaptations, the work of Stephen King still speaks to viewers. In just 2019 alone, we’ve had four feature films based on his work in Pet Sematary, It Chapter Two, In the Tall Grass and Doctor Sleep, along with several television shows. Starting […]
Annie Wilkes brings Misery to Castle Rock in season 2 trailer
Hulu has released the first trailer for the second season of the Stephen King-inspired horror anthology series Castle Rock which gives us our first look at Lizzie Caplan as a younger version of Annie Wilkes from King’s classic novel Misery, as well as teasing the origin story of the psychopathic nurse; watch it here… A […]
Blu-ray Review – Misery: Collector’s Edition (1990)
Misery, 1990. Directed by Rob Reiner. Starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Lauren Bacall, and Frances Sternhagen. SYNOPSIS: Rob Reiner’s 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s very personal novel Misery comes to a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray from Shout! Factory. The disc features a new 4K restoration of the film, along with new interviews with Reiner […]
The Top 10 Stephen King Movies
Tom Jolliffe with his top ten Stephen King movies… With the impending release of the new It film, now seems a good time to run through a top 10 list of Stephen King movies. These are all feature films. I’ve not included TV miniseries. As a writer it’s fair to say that King has been […]