Casey Chong on the best sword-and-sandal movies of the 21st century… With Ridley Scott returning to Ancient Rome this month in the long-gestating sequel Gladiator II [read our review here], it looks as if the sword-and-sandals epic is making yet another comeback. The last time the genre made a splash, for better or worse, was […]
10 Director’s Cuts That Are Better Than The Original Theatrical Versions
Simon Thompson looks at the ten best director’s cuts that improve on the original theatrical editions… Director’s cuts are a strange beast indeed. Some of them completely enhance or make amends for the initial movie’s strengths and/or short-comings, but others usually add far too much water to a perfectly good beer (cough… Apocalypse Now Redux…cough) […]
Kingdom of Heaven at 15: Mediocre historical epic or compelling 21st Century comment?
With Kingdom of Heaven turning 15 this week, George Nash looks at how Ridley Scott’s underrated epic remains an important examination of 21st Century religious and international relations… Like the plight of Jerusalem’s dwindling forces as they struggle to hold off a 200,000-strong Muslim army during the film’s final third, Kingdom of Heaven was fighting […]
Ridley Scott to receive VES Lifetime Achievement Award
While J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) will be lauded with the VES Visionary Award, British filmmaker-producer Ridley Scott will be receiving the VES Lifetime Achievement Award for a career that includes Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Gladiator (2000), Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Prometheus (2012) and the forthcoming Biblical epic Exodus: Gods & Kings (2014). “Ridley Scott […]