Sometimes a movie does what it says on the tin, such as these movies named after job titles… Choosing the title of your movie can be one of the hardest tasks. Get it wrong, and you might find your film is wholly mis-sold or misinterpreted by audiences. That was one of the reasons William Friedkin’s […]
From Hated to Loved: Did These Movies Deserve Reappraisal?
We look at ten once-hated films that have been shown more affection in recent years and ask, do they deserve the newfound love? It’s a story as old as cinema. A film comes out greeted with a vitriolic response from critics and audiences. In time we’ve seen the likes of Citizen Kane, The Shining and […]
A Beginner’s Guide To Paul Verhoeven
Tom Jolliffe continues our series of beginner’s guides to iconic directors with controversial Dutch director, Paul Verhoeven… A man who never does anything by halves, Paul Verhoeven is a director who has courted controversy throughout his career. With a long and varied resume, spanning beginnings in Dutch TV and film, then in and out of […]
Has Showgirls actually become kind of good?
Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at Showgirls, once universally derided and considered one of the worst films ever… but is it actually misunderstood? Upon its release in 1995, Paul Verhoeven’s trashy spectacular, Showgirls was obliterated by critics. It was a lavish, Vegas set tale with plenty of excess dismissed as vacuous, grimy and seedy. […]
The Best of the Worst: Ranking the Best Razzie Worst Picture “Winners”
EJ Moreno looks at Best of the Razzies’ Worst Picture… Every year since 1981, The Golden Raspberry Awards (better known as The Razzies) drop a collection of nominees “honoring” the worst in cinema. Many people reject The Razzies as cruel, while some filmmakers embrace the cheeky element of the award show. Who can forget Halle […]
Why is “campy” considered an insult to a movie or TV series?
EJ Moreno on the rejection of camp in film and television… I don’t know why this moment broke me, but reading the latest story on The CW’s upcoming Powerpuff Girls series was it. There was one line from that piece (which focused on the show’s needing retooling) that stood out to me and caused me […]
Ranking the Films of Paul Verhoeven
George Nash assesses the cinematic output of the subversive Dutch provocateur Paul Verhoeven… On the Rotten Tomatoes page of Showgirls, the critical consensus reads as follows: “Vile, contemptible, garish, and misogynistic — and that might just be exactly Showgirls‘ point”. It’s about as perfect as any summation could hope to be in capturing the journey taken […]
Showgirls documentary You Don’t Nomi gets a new trailer
A new UK trailer has arrived online for You Don’t Nomi, the upcoming documentary from writer-director Jeffrey McHale which explores the complicated journey of Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 erotic drama Showgirls as it went from notorious flop to cult classic; watch the trailer below, and read our review of the documentary here… SEE ALSO: Has Showgirls […]
