By The Book: The Martian Rachel Brook October 6, 2015 Analysis, By The Book, Features Welcome to By The Book, where we compare books with their cinematic adaptations. Are they faithful and delightful partners in storytelling or are the authors turning in their graves through these unholy...
The Martian – Review Phil W. Bayles September 30, 2015 Reviews As with Andy Weir’s novel, the reason that The Martian works so brilliantly as a film is that it’s a one-man show that’s much bigger than just one person. Matt Damon shines as the lovechild of Neil...
The Man Who Saved the World – Review Patrick Taylor May 15, 2015 Reviews With tensions between the USA and Russia on the rise again, this film is a timely reminder of how close the world came to nuclear apocalypse in 1983. The man in question is the conflicted Stanislav...
Second Chance: Elysium Phil W. Bayles February 1, 2015 Features, Nostalgia, Second Chance 1 Comment Elysium was the kind of movie that had a lot going against it from the moment it was announced. South African director Neill Blomkamp's debut, District 9, came out of nowhere and stunned critics and...
A Love Letter to… Invictus Bertie Archer January 11, 2015 Features, Love Letter, Nostalgia South Africa was on the brink of civil war in the early 1990s. Nelson Mandela’s release from prison was not the start of the troubles - he had been in prison for decades for fighting the institutional...
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,...
The Zero Theorem – Review Tom Bond March 15, 2014 Reviews 1 Comment The Zero Theorem is unmistakably a Terry Gilliam film, for better or worse. He has created a deliciously chaotic dystopia, saturated with colour and adverts, but his ramshackle directing threatens to disengage...
The Monuments Men – Review Chris Davies February 15, 2014 Reviews 1 Comment Following Argo, Clooney and Heslov return with another historical drama infused with humour. At least on paper… Dreadfully constructed setups make the "jokes" fall flat, with the incredible cast...
Best Films Never Made #3: Neill Blomkamp’s Halo David Brake October 21, 2013 Behind The Curtain, Best Films Never Made, Features 10 Comments In amongst the dusty annals of the best films never made, one blockbuster lies atop the pile. Widely known and anticipated for the last eight years, the ultimate videogame film adaptation, and the one film...
Elysium – Review Cameron Ward August 28, 2013 Reviews 1 Comment South African director Neill Blomkamp once again conjures up the beautiful filth, in what must be something akin to Steve Jobs' worst nightmare. Just looking at the sheer grittiness of LA's futuristic urban...