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 […]
What film will get you back to the cinema?
Tom Jolliffe ponders what will get you back to cinemas, and what he will be triumphantly returning for… Cinema has taken a hell of a beating in the last year. Early signs of recovery have been promising in the US, as studios cope with readjusted expectations, and attempt to build a new model that may […]
The Maestros of 80s Action Movie Music
Tom Jolliffe looks at a golden period in action movie scores and some of the maestros who composed them… What is the golden age of action movies? This is of course a rhetorical question. It’s undoubtedly the 1980s. A time of such unique flair and style. Big, bold, brash, silly, sometimes ironic. It was a […]
Total Recall receiving 4K restoration release for 30th anniversary
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Total Recall, StudioCanal have announced that Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic 1990 action sci-fi is set for a 4K Ultra HD Collector’s Edition release this November with a special restoration supervised by the renowned director himself; check out the cover artwork, trailer and special features details here… Adapted from […]
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 […]
Looking Back at the Legacy of Andrew G. Vajna
Tom Jolliffe looks back at the legacy of the late Andrew G. Vajna… When I was growing up I was fascinated by the video shop. Thousands of boxes displaying all manner of films. This was an era when cover art was particularly impressive. You could wander your eye over a shelf and scan until something […]
3 Successful Franchise Revivals and 3 Failures
George Chrysostomou with three successful franchise revivals and three failures… Franchise revivals are an ever present part of Hollywood today. Whilst audiences love sequels, prequels, original properties and reboots, there’s nothing quite as nostalgic as a franchise revival – taking a property from years ago, giving it a fresh coat of paint and selling it […]
It’s Okay To Prefer A Remake, Really
Edward Gardiner on why it’s okay to prefer remakes… If it’s not a sequel, it’s a remake. Always a hot topic in film discussion, the phenomenon of film remakes is something many of us still can’t entirely wrap our heads around. It’s been going on for decades, to varying degrees of quality, but only in recent […]
