Scene Stealers: Ann Dowd in Garden State James Andrews September 5, 2018 Analysis, Features, Scene Stealers If you've only got to know Ann Dowd through her recent roles in Hereditary and TV's The Handmaid's Tale (like a certain writer, ahem), you'd be forgiven for wanting to steer well clear of her if you ever met...
The Happytime Murders – Review James Andrews September 1, 2018 Reviews The conceit of The Happytime Murders might have made a half decent Saturday Night Live sketch but a good, even passable, feature film it does not. Most frustrating is the sheer laziness of the script. Todd...
Why The Shallows Isn’t Really About A Shark James Andrews August 7, 2018 Analysis, Close-Up, Features The plot of 2016 movie The Shallows is pretty easy and quick to sum up: it's Blake Lively versus a shark. This excellent, taut thriller sees her surfer, Nancy, get attacked and injured by a great white - then...
Scene Stealers: Samuel L. Jackson in Deep Blue Sea James Andrews August 6, 2018 Analysis, Features, Scene Stealers Samuel L. Jackson? A scene stealer in Deep Blue Sea? But wasn't he the star of that movie? Well, yes and no. Just go with this. 1999's cult favourite, about a group of genetically engineered sharks going on...
Oh Brother: Reappraising Step Brothers 10 Years On James Andrews July 25, 2018 Analysis, Features, Nostalgia 2008's Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly team-up Step Brothers is almost irredeemably stupid and low-brow when viewed again with a decade's more maturity, and through the more enlightened filter of 2018. Almost...
The Secret of Marrowbone – Review James Andrews July 16, 2018 Reviews In the wake of the sensational Hereditary, another psychological horror about a tormented, seemingly cursed family was always going to struggle in comparison. And while it ultimately goes in a wholly different...
Life Finds a Way: The Jurassic World 3 Wish List James Andrews June 12, 2018 Analysis, Features, Opinion Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom came roaring into cinemas last week, with our Phil calling the sequel/fifth outing 'an entertaining ride... with a fun B-movie premise, decently executed'. Generally good...
The Legacy of The Truman Show James Andrews June 5, 2018 Features, Love Letter, Nostalgia "And in case I don't see you: good afternoon, good evening and good night!" It's one of the most memorable Jim Carrey lines, up there with "aaalrighty then" and "somebody stop me!" It's also from the film...
Scene Stealers: Donald Glover in The Martian James Andrews May 24, 2018 Analysis, Features, Scene Stealers It’s a phrase bandied about quite a lot in the entertainment world, but Donald Glover is quite genuinely a man of many talents. When he’s not preparing to join a galaxy far, far away as a young Lando...
Why Deadpool is the Future of the X-Men Franchise James Andrews May 22, 2018 Analysis, Features, Opinion WARNING: Contains spoilers for Deadpool 2 Back in July 2014, the idea that some foul-mouthed, fourth wall-breaking upstart in a red costume would be (or need to be) an unlikely saviour of Fox's X-Men...
For Better or Worse: How Has Marvel Changed Cinema? James Andrews April 26, 2018 Analysis, Features, Opinion 10 years and 18 movies in, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has taken a superhuman grip of both the box office and modern popular culture – and, for now at least, it shows no signs of letting go. But...
Kodachrome – Review James Andrews April 20, 2018 Reviews Netflix’s latest original movie comes with a disclaimer warning that it contains product placement. With the title being the brand name of a type of Kodak film, and a proud declaration that it was shot on...
Ghost Stories – Review James Andrews April 7, 2018 Reviews Based on the Olivier Award-nominated play, Ghost Stories is at once an old-fashioned British horror flick and yet very much not what you expect. The premise sees professional debunker Professor Phillip Goodman...
How Taraji P. Henson Went Stratospheric With Hidden Figures James Andrews March 22, 2018 Analysis, Features, Spotlight Taraji P. Henson was snubbed for a Best Actress Oscar nomination in 2017 for her brilliant work in Hidden Figures. Simple as. Portraying real-life NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson as she provides vital...
Short of the Week – Cul-De-Sac James Andrews March 12, 2018 Features, Independent, Short of the Week https://vimeo.com/160098507 There's just something about a detective isn't there? For a pretty niche job, it's always provided a rich seam of inspiration for film-makers. While Chris Pond may not quite...