Best Films Never Made #17: Oliver Stone’s MLK Chris Davies June 21, 2014 Behind The Curtain, Best Films Never Made, Features From his marble throne Abraham Lincoln looked out across Washington, D.C. 250,000 men, woman and children were gathered before his memorial under the banner of equality and freedom, regardless of the colour of...
Stories from the Set: Some Like It Hot Chris Davies June 3, 2014 Behind The Curtain, Features, Stories from the Set 1 Comment Renowned costume designer Orry-Kelly knelt at Marilyn Monroe’s feet. His notepad filled up with measurements as he stretched and wrapped his tape around her body. He paused at her posterior. “Tony has a...
Edge of Tomorrow – Review Chris Davies May 30, 2014 Reviews 1 Comment Edge of Tomorrow exploits its premise for dramatic and comic effect, but its repetitious scenes of death/rebirth ruin the sense of danger and tension; at times it’s like watching someone else play a video...
Second Chance: War of the Worlds (2005) Chris Davies May 24, 2014 Features, Nostalgia, Second Chance 1 Comment In the first of a new series of features for ORWAV we take a look back at films that are often forgotten or dismissed, or else missed out on the acclaim and box office they deserved. In short, they deserve a...
A Beginner’s Guide To… Godzilla Chris Davies May 14, 2014 A Beginner's Guide To..., Analysis, Features 3 Comments With Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla reboot roaring its way to cinema screens, ORWAV takes you on a rampage through 60 years of history and 29 films featuring the King of the Monsters. Godzilla. He may be known as...
O Father, Where Art Thou? – Part 3: The Superhero Film Chris Davies May 9, 2014 Analysis, Close-Up, Features 3 Comments From Ancient Greece to Star Wars, the Bible to Breaking Bad, throughout history the father figure has been a major feature in dramatic storytelling. This is especially evident in film, but in post-9/11...
O Father, Where Art Thou? – Part 2: The Historical Epic Chris Davies May 7, 2014 Analysis, Close-Up, Features 4 Comments From Ancient Greece to Star Wars, the Bible to Breaking Bad, throughout history the father figure has been a major feature in dramatic storytelling. This is especially evident in film, but in post-9/11...
O Father, Where Art Thou? – Part 1: The Combat Film Chris Davies May 5, 2014 Analysis, Close-Up, Features 4 Comments From Ancient Greece to Star Wars, the Bible to Breaking Bad, throughout history the father figure has been a major feature in dramatic storytelling. This is especially evident in film, but in post-9/11...
Pompeii – Review Chris Davies May 2, 2014 Reviews 2 Comments While Gladiator was a modernised and engaging pastiche of the ancient historical epic, Pompeii is written and delivered with the soulless hum of a photocopier. Things heat up around the midway point,...
Stories from the Set: Roman Holiday Chris Davies April 19, 2014 Behind The Curtain, Features, Stories from the Set 1 Comment A girl leaps from the bed and runs to the window. Outside people dance in the warm Italian night as she watches, longing to join them. She may be a princess, but her royal duties bind her; her capacious and...
Locke – Review Chris Davies April 15, 2014 Reviews Following his feature-length directorial debut, Hummingbird, long-time writer Steven Knight directs again with a tense, witty, high-concept thriller set entirely inside a car. Hardy is a magnetic presence,...
The Quiet Ones – Review Chris Davies April 8, 2014 Reviews 1 Comment The Quiet Ones has its moments: some tense, atmospheric, quiet ones, and some VERY LOUD ONES! Pogue utilises the (clichéd) old house setting effectively, and the cattle-prod scares give equally predictable...
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Review Chris Davies March 27, 2014 Reviews 1 Comment After the disappointing Thor: The Dark World, Marvel matures with a contemporary thriller that emphasises character and ideology. The Winter Soldier himself is underused and the conclusion weakened by...
The Past – Review Chris Davies March 26, 2014 Reviews 1 Comment “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” - L.P. Hartley There are echoes of Hartley’s The Go-Between in Asghar Farhadi’s latest, depicting children caught in the fallout of...
Top 10 Films That Deserve A Remake Chris Davies March 25, 2014 Analysis, Features, Top 10 3 Comments Remake? Reboot? Reimagining? Hollywood’s obsession with recycling old properties into modern-day multiplex fodder shows no signs of abating. Many are gutless cash-ins seeking the largest possible audience,...