For decades, Ridley Scott and James Cameron circled around the idea of a 5th Alien movie. Rumours abound of what this would have been – there was talk of a script written by Cameron and directed by Scott which saw Ripley following the alien to its source, or finally reaching the xenomorph home planet. Weaver … Continue reading
Whilst mainstream horror seems to be getting progressively worse, the indie scene is going from strength to strength, with creative and exciting new directors turning their hands to genre flicks and making some modern classics. Recently, The Babadook, It Follows, The Innkeepers, Goodnight Mommy, and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, have all proved … Continue reading
It’s easy to list what’s wrong with the prequel trilogy – poor characters and non-existent character development, nonsensical and boring political plots, over use of CGI and green-screen – but harder to pinpoint why they went wrong. Looking back on the whole saga, it seems the original movies were probably more of a collective effort … Continue reading
There was a knowing quality to Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park. The title and logo are shared between the park and the film. The park’s merchandise can be bought in real-life. When Dr Grant and Dr Sattler see the brachiosaurus for the first time, their sense of awe relates to that of the audience, seeing the … Continue reading
It’s January, and that means one thing in movie world – Oscar nomination day. Always an exciting day in the industry, its the time when journalists around the glove list their predictions before questioning the incoming nominations. There are always certain dead-sets – this year, probably The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gone Girl, Birdman – and sometimes, … Continue reading
Thunderball was a huge commercial success, but suffered from its formulaic plot. Fearing that the rot was starting to set in, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman sought to make On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the 5th franchise film, but weather conditions meant production was shifted to You Only Live Twice instead. Released … Continue reading
By 1965, Bond was unstoppable. Goldfinger had made EON a lot of money and solidified the Bond formula; at this point, the series was well established as a franchise, and audiences wanted more. What they got was Thunderball. On paper, Thunderball could have been perfect. Ian Fleming wrote the book with the movie in mind, … Continue reading
Though not really related to Christmas at all, there’s something very festive about the Harry Potter movies, which explains why ITV are showing every single one this December. Maybe it’s something to do with the series’ sense of childlike wonder and magic, its lazy Sunday afternoon vibe, or even, like Bond, its quintessential Britishness – there’s … Continue reading
David Fincher’s first movie – Alien 3 – was a ropey mess, and one subsequently disowned by the director. But despite the studio-meddled final result, the film showed a great amount of promise – there was a bleak, uncompromising quality to Alien 3 – here was a movie which killed off beloved main characters with … Continue reading
David Cronenberg is often seen as the Canadian David Lynch; both directors rose to prominence in the early 80s, exploring modern culture through a satirical and very individual lens, each working with a distinct visual style, both heavy on atmosphere with flashes of brutal violence and horror. Stylistically, the two don’t have that much in … Continue reading
Some Films and Stuff 