Spotlight: Joaquin Phoenix – One Face, Many Bodies Rhys Handley March 8, 2018 Analysis, Features, Spotlight With a face as distinct as Joaquin Phoenix’s, the odds are stacked against our one-time hip-hop renaissance man to ever truly disappear into a role – to make us forget that he was ever really there. But...
Are Ridley Scott’s Extended Cuts Worth It? Eddie Falvey October 4, 2016 Analysis, Features, Opinion Oh, fiddley Ridley, you’ve gone and done it again… Almost exactly one year after its initial theatrical run, October 3rd will see a second home release for The Martian, Ridley Scott’s critically and...
A Beginner’s Guide to… Russell Crowe Patrick Nabarro June 3, 2016 A Beginner's Guide To..., Analysis, Features At my signal, unleash hell. The above line from Russell Crowe’s most iconic screen role – Maximus in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000) – seems a fitting enough emblem for the determined, no-nonsense...
Top 10 Final Acting Performances David Brake June 10, 2015 Analysis, Features, Top 10 When looking at the past, we always remember the bright bits. When speaking about our favourite actors, it's the Oscar winners, the blockbusters or the indie gems we recall. It's rare that the focus shifts...
The Show Must Go On: When Actors Die During Production Daniel Orton April 3, 2015 Analysis, Close-Up, Features What do Oliver Reed, Brandon Lee, Natalie Wood and Paul Walker all have in common? The answer to that rather macabre pub quiz question is that all of them are examples of actors who have died during production...
A Beginner’s Guide to… Alternative Cuts Eddie Falvey January 26, 2015 A Beginner's Guide To..., Analysis, Features 1 Comment You might forgive a general consensus that more is better in relation to a film’s running time; with avid fans fawning over myths of extra footage, deleted scenes, and unseen cuts, it is not hard to imagine...
The Following Is Based On A True Story… Patrick Taylor August 13, 2014 Analysis, Close-Up, Features 1 Comment Since the millennium, there have been a number of shifts and developments in the world of film. One such shift, however, has skirted under the radar. Films which claim to be ‘based on real events’ are more...
A Short History of the Period Drama, Part Three: Tear Up the Script (or, the present day) Sophie Wing June 15, 2014 Analysis, Close-Up, Features Long before the superhero movie took the words "gritty reboot" and revolutionised a genre, period drama was working quietly away in the background doing exactly the same thing. As the '90s gave way to a...
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...
Best Films Never Made #6: Nick Cave’s Gladiator II Chris Davies January 1, 2014 Behind The Curtain, Best Films Never Made, Features 31 Comments “At first you will be disorientated and confused, and, indeed, a little vexed. It is to be expected. But direct your anger elsewhere. I am a friend. Let me help you stand… ” – Mordecai, Gladiator...
A Beginner’s Guide To… Ridley Scott Chris Davies December 3, 2013 A Beginner's Guide To..., Analysis, Features 1 Comment Ridley Scott is one of Britain’s finest filmmakers, with a career spanning almost forty years and including such iconic films as Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise and Gladiator. Born in North-East...
Best Films Never Made #2: Ridley Scott’s I Am Legend David Brake October 12, 2013 Behind The Curtain, Best Films Never Made, Features 3 Comments Francis Lawrence’s 2007 version of I Am Legend was a box-office smash taking just shy of $600 million dollars worldwide, with Will Smith proving the Fresh Prince was the King of Hollywood for a reason. The...
