Tom Jolliffe looks at the essential Helen Mirren films… A British Icon, Mirren has been working since the 60’s and has an array of cult films under her belt, as well as a consistent recognition from the major awards. Never less than stellar, Mirren is an inspiration to aspiring actors. She’s successfully jumped between indie, […]
Deja Vu: The Dull Predictability of the Hollywood Tentpole Lineup
Tom Jolliffe on whether the yearly line ups of Blockbusters are becoming too predictable… So new year rolls around, as time inevitably guarantees. At the end of the year we invariably look back. Best of lists permeate film sites across the internet land. Then as soon as we kick into a new January, we start […]
The Best of the 8’s – From 1968 to 2008
As 2018 begins and we enter year 8 of this decade, Tom Jolliffe takes a look back at his favourite films from the previous five year 8’s… Beginning with… 2008 – Let The Right One In In a strong year, which included The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire, I’ve opted for a genre redefining vampire film […]
A Year To Forget: Will Greatness Elude Michael Fassbender?
Tom Jolliffe on a year to forget for Michael Fassbender, which leaves him at a potential career crossroads… For years, Michael Fassbender proved a live-wire. An actor of fierce intensity, devotion and depth, unafraid to put himself into the most extreme roles. Whether it was Hunger or Shame, he bared everything (in every sense of […]
Plumbing New Depths in Low Brow
Tom Jolliffe takes a look at an increasing trend in witless low brow comedies on the big screen… It goes without saying that low brow comedy is nothing new. Foul mouthed tirades, sex jokes and toilet humour. Occasionally these comedies might play with stereotypes relating to race, gender or sexuality. Of course attitudes have changed […]
Movie Review – Blue World Order (2017)
Blue World Order, 2017. Directed by Che Baker and Dallas Bland. Starring Jake Ryan, Billy Zane and Bruce Spence. SYNOPSIS: The film is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which civilisation has crumbled. A massive electromagnetic pulse has killed all children on the planet with the exception of Molly (Billie Rutherford), the daughter of Jake […]
Flying CDs, Spacemen and the 90 minute build up to a finishing line: The Year Dolph Lundgren Saved My Christmas
Tom Jolliffe on how Dolph Lundgren saved his Christmas… Christmas is almost upon us. Prepare yourself for constant recurring questions about whether you’ve started your shopping. Furthermore as I speak from a film site, there will also be thousands of Crimbo themed lists fired out across the web. We’ll doubtless be covering our share on […]
Has Film Declined In The 21st Century?
Tom Jolliffe on whether standards in film have dropped this century… I’ve made passing reference to it before, but the tail end of the year always brings time for reflection, and I’ve often bemoaned the decline in important cinema being made in recent years. This is the stuff of miserable old git conversations in the […]
Movie Review – The Foreigner (2017)
The Foreigner, 2017. Directed by Martin Campbell. Starring Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Rufus Jones, Charlie Murphy, and Orla Brady. SYNOPSIS: The story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge fuelled vendetta when the only person left for him to love – his teenage daughter – is taken from him […]
The Balance Between Challenging And Embracing Stereotypes: A ‘Chinese Burn’ Story
Tom Jolliffe looks at the controversy surrounding the new BBC sitcom, Chinese Burn… This week saw the release of a new BBC Sitcom to the now online only channel, BBC3 (showing on iPlayer now). The show in question is Chinese Burn. Written by and starring Yennis Cheung and Shin-Fei Chen, the idea of the piece […]
