War Horse, 2011. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell and Tom Hiddleston. SYNOPSIS: A horse is separated from its owner and thrust into the midst of World War I when it is sent into action on the Western Front. In Jurassic Park, there is […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Blow, 2001. Directed by Ted Demme. Starring Johnny Depp, Jordi Mollà, Penélope Cruz, Ray Liotta, Paul Reubens, Franka Potente and Rachel Griffiths. Blow is the mind-blowing biopic of George Jung (Depp), an average guy who made $100 million smuggling […]

Trevor Hogg chats with Academy Award-nominated visual effects supervisor Michael Owens… “I grew up in the Bay Area,” states Michael Owens. “There was no moviemaking there. I fell into filmmaking when I was in high school.” Not wanting to move to Los Angeles, the teenager floundered. “When ILM [Industrial Light & Magic] came to Marine […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Fight Club, 1999. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf and Jared Leto. So in writing this article I am immediately breaking rules one and two of Fight Club, but here it […]

Daniel Craig (Cowboys & Aliens) could be in with a chance of breaking Roger Moore’s record as the longest-serving James Bond actor, as he has reportedly been offered a multi-million pound deal to continue in the role for another five films. Craig starred in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, and is currently filming his […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Twin Town, 1997. Directed by Kevin Allen. Starring Llyr Ifans, Rhys Ifans and Dougray Scott. If you have ever visited Swansea, or any place in Wales for that matter, you would have no doubt seen or experienced the idiotic […]

Rage, 2010. Directed by Christopher R. Witherspoon. Starring Rick Crawford, Audrey Walker and Christopher R. Witherspoon. SYNOPSIS: A college professor provokes the wrath of a mysterious biker, leading to a day-long battle of cat-and-mouse which escalates into a violent rampage. It’s rare that a low-budget independent feature grips you from start to finish, but American […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1998. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Gary Busey, Ellen Barkin, Christina Ricci and Cameron Diaz. “We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert […]

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, 2011. Directed by Guy Ritchie. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly and Eddie Marsan. SYNOPSIS: Never one to take a fair, even-handed approach to those untrustworthy thieving gypsy types (my entire experience based of course upon Guy Ritchie films […]

Commenting on the critics with Simon Columb… Euan Ferguson writes in The Observer about the recent TV and, crucially, the outstanding This Is England ’88: “Tellingly, I thought, the hugs said it all. When members of the old bunch hugged, even after estrangement, it was real. When Woody and new girl Jen tried to group-hug […]