10 Moments That Defined Marvel’s Avengers Tom Bond April 23, 2019 Analysis, Features, Top 10 It's been a long old road to reach the Endgame. 21 films, a crowd of super-powered, wise-cracking heroes, and the biggest box office phenomenon of the 21st century all come to a (sort of) end when Endgame hits...
Scene Stealers: Ian McShane in Hot Rod Joni Blyth April 10, 2019 Analysis, Features, Scene Stealers He’s Al Swearengen. He’s Lovejoy. He’s Odin. He’s Lancashire’s greatest export since the Jelly Baby. You know him, you fear him, you can’t resist his wild eyes – Ian McShane has us all in the...
Top 10 Stephen King Adaptations Alice Rooney April 3, 2019 Analysis, Features, Top 10 Given Stephen King’s relentless success as an author, it seems only natural that gripping adaptations of his work should match this success on screen. Over 50 of King’s novels and short stories have been...
Jake Gyllenhaal: The King is Dead? Chris Edwards April 2, 2019 Analysis, Features, Spotlight "What do you mean my reviews have 'fallen off'?", Jake Gyllenhaal’s art critic Morf Vandewalt snaps defensively in the latest entry into the actor’s impressive filmography, Velvet Buzzsaw. It’s been four...
By the Book: The Sisters Brothers Rory Steabler April 1, 2019 Analysis, By The Book, Features Patrick deWitt’s 2011 novel The Sisters Brothers is very funny. Jacques Audiard’s new film adaptation of that novel is significantly less funny. Despite (or really, because of) this, the film is a great...
The Melancholy of the Outsider: Tim Burton’s Fantastical Worlds Patrick Nabarro March 27, 2019 Analysis, Close-Up, Features Tim Burton returns this weekend with his 19th feature film as director: a live-action version of Dumbo. While the lingering fascination with his films, and the cultural lure of a reimagined Disney gem like...
Spotlight: Colin Farrell Katy Moon March 26, 2019 Spotlight Once upon a time, it seemed like Colin Farrell was primed to be Hollywood’s Next Big Thing. Springing onto the Hollywood scene in the early 2000s, Farrell impressed in Joel Shumacher’s Tigerland, a...
Live-Action Disney Remakes: Cynical Cash Cows or New Takes on the Classics? Carmen Paddock March 25, 2019 Analysis, Debate, Features Dumbo hits UK cinemas this week, and it promises a stellar cast, some tear-jerking animation, and a hopeful return to form by Tim Burton. While judgement cannot yet be passed on the film itself, the most...
I’m Fine Now: The Millennial Experience on Film Carmen Paddock March 15, 2019 Analysis, Features, One Off This article discusses plot points of Benjamin, out in cinemas on Friday, and generalises freely about the lives and habits of young adults in the US and UK. Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade – out in the UK in...
The Amazing Spider-Man’s Failure was the Best Thing to Happen to Andrew Garfield Jack Blackwell March 13, 2019 Analysis, Features, Opinion Andrew Garfield was too handsome to be a superhero. This has never been a problem for any actor in the history of Hollywood, but it ended up being one of several factors that doomed the short-lived Amazing...
The Evolution of Marvel’s Women James Andrews March 6, 2019 Analysis, Close-Up, Features Wrack your brains for somewhere the DC Extended Universe has beaten its rival, Marvel, and you will probably land on Wonder Woman. As well as reintroducing female-led superhero movies after Elektra in 2005, it...
Is Captain Marvel Here to Save Women in Film? Alex Goldstein March 5, 2019 Features, One Off, Opinion It’s a big ask, being brought back from the past to save half the universe from a Mad Titan. As if that wasn't enough, the woman behind Captain Marvel is flexing her own muscles to drive change for women...
How The LEGO Movie 2 Deconstructs Toxic Masculinity Phil W. Bayles February 27, 2019 Analysis, Features, Opinion Nobody expected The LEGO Movie to be anything more than a 90-minute commercial for the bricks it was based on. But, in a move that has quickly becoming their trademark, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller...
ORWAV Oscars 2019 – The Results Tom Bond February 24, 2019 Analysis, Features, One Off Not to brag, but we had a pretty great set of nominations for the ORWAV Oscars this year, with the Academy's top picks enhanced by the kind of family favourites and comedy performances that rarely get as much...
Dark, Moody, and Remote: The World of Scandinavian Thrillers Alice Rooney February 20, 2019 Analysis, Features, One Off “Lie still. I’ve never done this before… and there will be blood." Lisbeth Salander, a stylish and intelligent enigma, is a character that embodies Scandinavian thrillers. Niels Arden Oplev’s The Girl...