Following our deep dive into 1980s action cinema, lock and load for our list of essential 1990s action movies… The 1990s brought about a shift in the action genre. As the decade progressed there seemed to be shift from the 80s icons into the likes of Nicolas Cage and Keanu Reeves becoming action stars. Likewise […]
Action Movies Blessed with Stunning Cinematography
Tom Jolliffe looks at ten action movies blessed with stunning cinematography… There are great action movies and there is great cinematography. Not always, but occasionally, the two meet in the middle and we get an action film that also looks especially incredible. In general, the action genre may go for a more neutral palette, to […]
Terrible Remake Ideas: Past, Present, Future
Tom Jolliffe looks at ten unnecessary remakes from the past and coming soon that no one asked for… Hollywood is full of interesting and original ideas. Studios are actively looking to pursue new concepts and move away from simply repackaging or updating existing IPs. Okay, I’m fibbing. Hollywood is desperately scraping any old idea they […]
The Art of Ambiguity in Cinema
Tom Jolliffe looks at the finest in ambiguous cinema, and asks ‘how do you pull it off?’… Often in the law books of screenwriting there’s a section which might tell the studious aspiring writer that a film must have clarity. Plot threads must lead to resolution. Each act and your central character arcs should be […]
1991: The Year in Action Movies
Tom Jolliffe ventures back 30 years to a year well stocked in action films… Upon revisiting the cinematic landscape of 1991 recently, I noticed something that tickled my nostalgia no end. The year was chock full of action films, with a large number of films packing audiences in cinemas and a number also keeping video […]
The Film and TV Reboot Explosion
Tom Jolliffe looks at a current explosion of reboots in film and TV, with many from properties no one remembers anyway… The idea of a reboot isn’t exactly unfamiliar. Hollywood is on a very well worn trail that is littered with remakes, reboots, sequels, whatever you want to call them. Some might say Hollywood has […]
The A-Z of Action Movies: M-Q
As we continue are A-Z of action, we bring you a selection of entries from M-Q… Explosions, fist fights, one liners and quite a lot of mullets. We’re getting toward the business end of an action A-Z, hitting the middle ground toward the home straight. More carnage will ensue and we’ve all got bigger biceps […]
10 Essential Heist Movies
Tom Jolliffe offers up ten essential heist movies… The heist. All that intricate planning before the moment of truth and the job has to be pulled off. Through cinema we’ve seen re-enactments of true life heists, as well as plenty of fictional bank jobs, jewellery heists, from snatch and grabs to tales of elaborate planning […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Kathryn Bigelow
In the latest Flickering Myth directors guide, Tom Jolliffe looks at Kathryn Bigelow… In a male dominated field, Kathryn Bigelow has risen up from being a cult genre film director, stepping out of the shadow of James Cameron (her former husband) and re-inventing herself in the last decade as one of the best directors in […]
Keanu Reeves: The King of Action!
Tom Jolliffe on Keanu Reeves, the king of action… With John Wick: Chapter 2 in cinemas now, it seems a good time to take a look back over Keanu Reeves’ forays into the action genre. Over the years Reeves has dipped his toes into just about every genre. He broke out of course in comedy, […]