Tom Jolliffe offers up an essential John Woo selection… John Woo has been a little quiet of late, but the legendary Hong Kong filmmaker is set to make his Hollywood return this year with his “comeback” movie Silent Night, which has just received its first trailer this week. To the uninitiated, John Woo was once […]
The Essential 90s Action Movies
Following our deep dive into 1980s action cinema, lock and load for our list of essential 1990s action movies… The 1990s brought about a shift in the action genre. As the decade progressed there seemed to be shift from the 80s icons into the likes of Nicolas Cage and Keanu Reeves becoming action stars. Likewise […]
Action Movies Blessed with Stunning Cinematography
Tom Jolliffe looks at ten action movies blessed with stunning cinematography… There are great action movies and there is great cinematography. Not always, but occasionally, the two meet in the middle and we get an action film that also looks especially incredible. In general, the action genre may go for a more neutral palette, to […]
The Films of 1992: A Great Year For Movies
Tom Jolliffe ventures back 30 years to 1992, a year full of breakouts, action spectacle, iconic soundtracks and more… In my retrospective delve into the year of 1982, I boldly claimed that it might have been the greatest year of film ever. As I thrust my time machine forward a decade, I wandered the cinematic […]
10 Great Long Takes
Tom Jolliffe looks at some of the best long takes in cinema history… The beauty of cinema, is the sheer litany of techniques available for film-makers to convey their story. It’s a collaborative effort between actors, directors, cinematographers, editors and everyone in between. The power of editing lies in the ability to manipulate the audiences […]
When a Soundtrack Becomes Beautifully Contrary to Violence on Screen
Tom Jolliffe looks at the effective use of contrarian music in films which show violence… There’s something about a great film soundtrack whether it’s the score or songs (or both). You can have a melancholic drama which will usually be laced with melancholic music. You can have the rousing action adventure with the John Williams […]
The Essential Tony Leung Films
Tom Jolliffe offers up ten essential Tony Leung films… With boyish good looks, charisma and immense gravitas, Tony Leung has been mesmerising audiences for over 40 years. As well as an ability to convey so much through saying so little, he also has the rare ability to drift between genres as comfortably as anyone. He’s […]
The A-Z of Action Movies: E-H
In part two of our action A-Z, we look at a selection of films beginning with E-H… After an action packed A-D of action films, what does the next batch of carnage have to offer? Once again I delve into an eclectic mix of cult favourites and obscure video specials, with an array of action […]
From Hard Boiled to Soft Boiled: Why John Woo’s masterpiece will never be matched again
Tom Jolliffe revisits John Woo’s action masterpiece Hard Boiled… John Woo had already made quite a name for himself in China, thanks to hit action classics such as A Better Tomorrow and The Killer. In 1992 he released the film which would see him transition from Hong Kong director, to Hollywood. The film was Hard […]
Extreme Gun-Fu Action Movie Gems You Cannot Miss!
Marvelous Videos with a selection of essential gun-fu movies… Gun-fu. It’s a strange word, a western portmanteau that seeks to combine firearms with Eastern martial arts. But how can this be? How can you realistically have people shoot guns at close range without it seeming gimmicky or outright silly? Well, the great thing about movies […]
