Tom Jolliffe evaluates the positives of a couple of festive turkeys… For every festive slice of gold, there are a number of films which don’t quite hit the right notes. There’s been something about the Christmas movie in years gone by that has often felt like they’re pumped out to be ready for the season. […]
A Not So Holly-Jolly Christmas: Why are the mean spirited festive films so enjoyable?
Tom Jolliffe looks at mean spirited Christmas films, and why we enjoy them so much… We all love a bit of Christmas cheer. Okay, some of us do. There are plenty of warm hearted Crimbo films to enjoy. Injected with pure unadulterated saccharine. Any mean spirited film of course, will inevitably turn back into festive […]
Revisiting Bound: The Wachowskis’ Stunning Directorial Debut
Ahead of The Matrix Resurrections, Tom Jolliffe looks back at Bound, the Wachowskis’ directorial debut, which remains essential neo-noir… They had written a Sylvester Stallone action picture. Assassins would prove somewhat underwhelming to critics and disappointed at the box office. It would undoubtedly have been a money spinning gig for Lana and Lilly Wachowski but […]
Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back – Dispelling myths, musical genius at play, and reaffirming his own continuing indulgence
Tom Jolliffe looks at Peter Jackson’s lengthy but fascinating documentary, The Beatles: Get Back… You might call it B roll or off cuts of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s iconic documentary film Let it Be, which chronicled The fab fours work on a free form concept album and accompanying performance. Said album was so off the cuff, that […]
The Good and the Bad: Nostalgia-Driven Cinema
Tom Jolliffe on nostalgia-driven films… Balance is a wonderful thing. In a recipe, each ingredient plays a part. Sugar is good right? The contentious ingredient has taken the blame for so many modern health issues over the years. Let’s face it, there’s almost no nutritional value, but it’s pleasing. You need sugar to make doughnuts. […]
15 Great Cinematic Journeys
Tom Jolliffe offers up 15 great cinematic journeys… When it comes to cinema, the very best films will grab the audience and keep us gripped throughout the runtime. Every character goes on a particular journey that can be literal and/or metaphorical. Those literal epic journeys which might see hobbits on a quest to take a […]
Rocky IV: Original Cut vs. Director’s Cut
Tom Jolliffe pits Sylvester Stallone’s recent Directors Cut of Rocky IV up against the original theatrical cut… Much like the iconic villain within it, Rocky IV defeats all man. A much treasured film which was always rated highly among Rocky fans, even if it might not have been objectively considered a great film. A wonderful […]
The Multiverse Era: When a Cinematic Universe Isn’t Enough
Tom Jolliffe on the current preoccupation with the multiverse… Cinema is all about cycles. Genres flit in and out of prominence. An action landscape which was once dominated by Westerns was then temporarily displaced by gangster films, then epics, then Westerns again, then a brief parley into pessimistic cinema, before Star Wars laid a significant […]
1991: The Year in Action Movies
Tom Jolliffe ventures back 30 years to a year well stocked in action films… Upon revisiting the cinematic landscape of 1991 recently, I noticed something that tickled my nostalgia no end. The year was chock full of action films, with a large number of films packing audiences in cinemas and a number also keeping video […]
The Art of Giving Film Recommendations
Tom Jolliffe on the art of giving film recommendations… You’ve got to see The Matrix! You have to! It’s 1999, and there’s a distinct transition between the recommender of The Matrix as being ahead of the curve, to a couple of months down the line when such a recommendation is lost in a cacophony of […]
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