Simon Thompson looks at ten great director’s cuts that improve on the original theatrical editions… Director’s cuts are a strange beast indeed. Some of them completely enhance or make amends for the initial movie’s strengths and/or short-comings, but others usually add far too much water to a perfectly good beer (cough… Apocalypse Now Redux…cough) and […]
Ten Essential Films of the 1950s
It’s time to look at ten essential films of the 1950s… Quentin Tarantino has never been shy about expressing his opinions on cinema. He once claimed that the two weakest decades in cinema were the 50s and 80s. Sure, Tarantino directed Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but I’m still going to disagree. The 80s were […]
4K Ultra HD Review – Touch of Evil (1958)
Touch of Evil, 1958. Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Marlene Dietrich, and Zsa Zsa Gabor. SYNOPSIS: Orson Welles’ classic Touch of Evil, which suffered from a troubled production history before being restored to his original vision more than a decade after he died, arrives on […]
10 Great Long Takes
Tom Jolliffe looks at some of the best long takes in cinema history… The beauty of cinema, is the sheer litany of techniques available for film-makers to convey their story. It’s a collaborative effort between actors, directors, cinematographers, editors and everyone in between. The power of editing lies in the ability to manipulate the audiences […]
The Cop on the Edge
Tom Jolliffe on the well-worn but effective cop on the edge trope… Cinema can often be pretty simple. Good guys are often morally upstanding. Bad guys often irredeemably corrupt. Your good guy might be a cop, your bad guy a crook. The hero might have a foible or two, but is generally psychologically on an […]
1930’s-50’s: The Golden Age of Mystery Films
Tom Jolliffe on why the 30’s to 50’s were a golden age for mystery films… Whether it’s a murder mystery, or a cat and mouse quest to uncover a mystery, the 1930’s, up until the end of the 1950’s saw a prolific output of mystery films. Across world cinema, from Britain, to Hollywood to Europe […]
Movie Review – Touch of Evil (1958)
Touch of Evil, 1958. Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Charlton Heston, Orson Welles and Janet Leigh. SYNOPSIS: A stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town. Exquisite deep shadows and sharp light, beaming from the screen, make Touch of Evil a film noir classic. A staple of the genre, […]
