It’s time to cast an eye on the Criterion Collection, a distribution company renowned for giving cult, classic and world cinema a new lease of life… Christopher Nolan and Guillermo del Toro have come out recently and spoken of the importance of physical media and the dangers of everything shifting to digital. The art of […]
10 Stunning Performances Outrageously Snubbed by the Oscars
It’s the Oscars, so it’s time to look at ten stunning performances the Academy outrageously snubbed… Oscar season is an exciting time of the year. It’s fair to say that every year, for one reason or another, contentious decisions are made as well as glaring omissions. The desperation from some actors to snag an Oscar […]
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 […]
Ten Essential Film4 Films
Tom Jolliffe with ten essential films from Film4… Film4, under the Channel 4 banner, has championed great cinema for nearly 40 years. Whether producing independently or co-producing (often with indie studios or European production houses), there’s a stamp of quality that comes associated with the mark of Film4 (or Channel 4 films). For the most […]
The Art of Giving Film Recommendations
Tom Jolliffe on the art of giving film recommendations… You’ve got to see The Matrix! You have to! It’s 1999, and there’s a distinct transition between the recommender of The Matrix as being ahead of the curve, to a couple of months down the line when such a recommendation is lost in a cacophony of […]
Great Movie Scenes That Left An Indelible Mark
Tom Jolliffe takes a look at 15 great movie scenes that left an indelible mark… Great movies require many things to achieve that unshakable stamp of quality. As well as great writing, directing and acting, you need memorable scenes. Some can be more memorable than others. Some may end up defining a film more than […]
Nihilism in Cinema
Tom Jolliffe on cinema’s fascination with nihilistic film characters… Nihilists…rejecting all values, beliefs, morals and systems of order, deeming life to be meaningless. Sounds like most peoples teenage years. On the other hand, as far as creating cinematic protagonists, a character with a nihilistic frame of mind might not necessarily seem like the safest creative […]
The Disturbed Outsider: A Cinematic Pathway Leading to Joker
In the wake of Joker’s success, Tom Jolliffe looks at similar cinematic examples of the disturbed outsider… With a quarter billion in takings and counting, as well as divisive reviews, media attention up the wazoo, and a status (particularly among the 18-30 viewers) as a cinematic masterpiece, Joker’s depiction of disturbed isolation and disconnect from […]
First look at Hellboy reboot, rumours on Ben Affleck’s Batman script, Halloween reboot update and more – Daily News Roundup
LOOKING LIKE HELL It was only announced a few months ago, but the Neil Marshall directed Hellboy reboot is moving ahead at a rapid pace. And last night the official Lionsgate Twitter account released our first look at David Harbour as Anung un Rama. Check it out here. LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER This is news that […]
Getting Naked Again: Revisiting Mike Leigh’s Naked
Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at Mike Leigh’s 1993 film, Naked… The other day I attended a special screening at The Prince Charles Cinema in London. It was part of a specially curated selection of films (from NFTS) devoted to the vile and unlikeable. The first film of the series was Mike Leigh’s 1993 […]