Articles + Quotes on Film & TV

The other day, I was watching the very end of The Spiderwick Chronicles. From memory, this film did not do too well at the box office. It was released back in 2008. So multiple spoilers ahead, sorry. Anyway, the scene I was watching involved David Straithairn's character Arthur Spiderwick coming back and seeing his now very grown up daughter Lucinda (Joan Plowright) and taking her with him. The piece of score for this particular scene sounded very familiar and I remembered that it was in the film Casper (its the scene when Cat's Mum comes back and tells her Dad what needs to be said and later when Casper is dancing with Cat near the end of their little dance) and a little research later confirmed it was in fact the same composer: James Horner. It's not the first time this has happened, there have been many overlaps, a lot I've noticed from the action genre of films, classics like Con Air, Broken Arrow, Bad Boys and the sequel, to present for films like The Sorc

Superhero films in general, usually have the most unhealthy helping of corniness imaginable. Not just supers, its also shows like the remake of Hawaii Five O, it grew and it lost me as a viewer. It doesn't help much as far as good story-lines, the script, characters etc are concerned. Some love this, I mean, look at the level of support for characters like Superman, the X-Men crew, Batman, Spiderman, Daredevil, Elektra. The list goes on. I haven't been a fan of the superhero classics, I mean, come on Superman puts on a pair of glasses and that instantly makes him invisible. Maybe its the old Emperor's New Clothes principle at work, we buy into it because we want to enjoy the overall story. Either way, too much corniness can overwhelm - read piss off today's viewer, which is why I am heavily enjoying watching the most recent superhero adaptation: The Flash. Like the main character, the focus on a specific tone, moves just as fast from really serious to sad to

I watched this film a little while ago and I'm still thinking about it. It is a political thriller, set in London, after a bombing of the Borough Markets. With a suspect - Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto) in custody, all that remains is a trial and therein lies the rub. Because of national security and risks that an open trial might incur, a closed session is planned and in an opening scene, the Attorney General (portrayed by Jim Broadbent) whole heartedly defends this decision in a radio interview. Kenneth Cranham is Cameron Fischer, a head in the English law courts. Martin Rose (portrayed by Eric Bana, complete with English accent) enters as a defence barrister and Claudia Simmons-Howe, (Rebecca Hall) as the special advocate. Neither are that keen on working together but I won't say why. Devlin (Ciaran Hinds) comes in to work with both of them, not an enviable position but his character does keeps up the levity with some well written lines that may not provoke a

Ben Whishaw gives his voice for the title character and after seeing the film I could not think of anyone better for it. And after portraying characters like Sebastian in Brideshead Revisited, John Keats in Bright Star, its not hard to wonder why. Sorry Colin Firth. The rest of the film was similarly well cast, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins - as Mr and Mrs Brown (they have two children - Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), Julie Walters as Mrs Bird, Peter Capaldi as Mr Curry all bring something special to their characters, as does Nicole Kidman, as a sort of more active Cruella De Vil type, but she too makes Millicent her own. Mark King (known to a lot as Super Hans in Peep Show) pops up, as does Geoffrey Palmer, Jim Broadbent and Matt Lucas and Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton. It is a family film first and foremost and that carries on into the main theme of the story. That gives the film its heartwarming quality, but secondly its a comedy, so get ready fo

Like the last two films, they have perfectly adapted the first half of the third book in Suzanne Collins trilogy to make a thoroughly thrilling and well made film. Since the events of Catching Fire, Katniss is now in district 13, the until now unknown underground district that is now leading the would be rebellion against the capitol. And the president of 13, Alma Coin (portrayed by Julianne Moore) wants Katniss to accept the figurehead position of the Mockingjay, something that she is joined in by Plutarch Heavensbee, (portrayed by the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman) ex gamemaker from the capitol, but Katniss is forever changed, and not for the better. She and Finnick (Sam Claflin) may have been "saved" from the last games, but Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) wasn't and he, Johanna (Jena Malone), andAnnie (Stef Dawson) are stuck in the Capitol, under Snow's (Donald Sutherland) unforgiving thumb. It takes a lot to get her to perform, thankfully, she still has Gale

Usually I wait until I've seen at least three episodes of a series before posting a review, but this time, I decided not to wait. Those who loved Carnivale and despaired at it being cancelled after two seasons, can now rejoice, something has finally arrived to plug the gap where it once was on TV. Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton, Harry Treadaway, this particular (regulars) combination of fine actors in a unpredictable storyline set in early twentieth century London, with regular references to period literature and different, original takes on the supernatural, why are you still reading? The score is by Abel Korzeniowski, which as every great score should, adds that extra layer to the scenes. Very much looking forward to the third episode now, an appearance by Rory Kinnear, not just Bond's and M's Tanner in the Bond films. Who knew?

Heartwarming, uplifting, for once a film is exactly what it says on the tin. Set in 1984, a group of gay and lesbian activists, regularly on the march for equality and having to deal with police coming in, discover that for once, its been relatively quiet on that front. A quick check with the newspapers (its 1984 don't forget) and they find its the strikers' protesting that has taken the heat off them, and its decided they should help the miners and raise money to support them. The fact that the film is based on true events makes it all the more special and every reaction, laughter, tears are well founded. Both are prompted more than once. This being a British film, they have the greats out in full force, Bill Nighy with a great Welsh accent, Imelda Staunton, Jessica Gunning, Dominic West and Paddy Considine. And the next generation of greats, Ben Schnetzer, Andrew Scott, George Mackay, Joseph Gilgun, Faye Marsay, Freddie Fox, Chris Overton and Joshua Hill. All in a

This film is a true masterpiece in every sense of the word, in every possible way, costume and production design. The score has been composed by the brilliant Alexandre Desplat and of course acting, directing and editing. A great film entertains, a masterpiece such as this opens your eyes, to a little known story that should be taught to all. Alan Turing was the man who created something that helped shorten a war, so many peoples and places owe themselves to his work. Benedict Cumberbatch completely disappears into the role of Alan Turing, it is as though the real Alan came back to make this film before leaving to give Mr Cumberbatch the credit of his miraculous reappearance. The other actors are similarly transformed into their roles, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Allen Leech, Tuppence Middleton, Rory Kinnear, Steven Waddington, Tom Goodman-Hill and Matthew Beard all bring such depth to their characters and combined with the strength of Mr Cumberbat

When I first saw the trailer, I was quite excited by the greatness that it promises. Unlike many trailers that only give away the entire plot and show all the best bits, this one served only to give a taster of what is to come. And it does not in any way disappoint. Not for a moment. The story flows exceedingly well, the pace is fast and yet you have no trouble following the many turns that they take you on. First time director Gary Shore, with first time writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (though it doesn't seem like it) create a great story with actors who all portray their characters with zeal and passion, taking the written word on the script to create three dimensional characters that have both their good points and their flaws. Luke Evans leads the cast as the titular character, and considering the history behind it, it is quite a heavy mantle to carry. Lesser actors would fall and make the character a mere caricature. Mr Evans gives his all in every frame and e

It has been some time since I first ventured forth on this subject and since then a lot more audio commentaries have been listened to and thought about. Which makes it high time that this topic is re-opened and discussed once more. In the previous article, I made my own definition of this special feature, and listed, from the least to best favourite, a top eleven. Here, I will go further and outline what defines a great commentary. First off, number of people on the commentary itself. Here's the thing, a single comedian can keep a collective audience entertained for a good hour, telling jokes and stories and generally being, well, entertaining. Unfortunately, the same principle doesn't really apply here. I have listened to many commentaries, since before this article and the first, and no, despite being the producer, director whatever title you have, if you are the only person to speak on a commentary, it becomes pretty boring very quickly for the poor soul listening, wi

We have always known Ralph Fiennes to be a great actor. Its one of those things we take for granted and so when he puts forward a typically consistent, multifaceted, award deserving performance, regardless of the character, "baddie or good guy" we are predictably blown away. Be it Harry in In Bruges, Lord Voldemort, Christopher Marshall or M Gustave, he commits to each and every role. So it must have been maybe a little disconcerting for his co actors in this film, for them to be dealing with a reincarnated Charles Dickens one moment and Ralph Fiennes, working also as the director of this film the next. That is another thing that comes to you when watching The Invisible Woman, the direction in this is flawless. Move over Ben Affleck, you're not the only one who can do both acting and directing in one film and be brilliant at both. The story of this film is also a shock to the system. Charles Dickens had an affair with a young actress much younger than himself, E

With one great film, you get many others trying desperately to emulate the style, or humour, feeling of that one film. Sometimes its the same makers, whenever they make a sequel. Or try to. One obvious example of a great one, is Shrek. One of the reasons this was so well loved and its style copied, was because of its humour and its focus. It took the mickey out of fairy tales, but cleverly. It didn't do too much and topple under the weight. This film, has heart. It is a great comedic story, if you ignore the opening scene and has the added bonus of being set in, for the most part - space. Its a movie to watch with friends, as its a fun movie to do that, and that is the main theme of the whole story, something that is strangely missing from most films these days. Shrek fans, rejoice, someone has not copied, but has been inspired by one of the greats. Chris Pratt's character, Peter Quill, also known as Star Lord, a nickname he is desperate to have stick, introduces us to

There have been many adaptations of Alexandre Dumas's classic tale. IMDb claims two hundred, including this most recent addition, created by Adrian Hodges. The production design is beautifully realistic in all its drab and dirty reality of Paris in 1630. The Musketeer regiment were soldiers, an elite force of men. The action scenes are there to tell the story, nothing more. They have their fights, with various weaponry and its always clear and understandable to the viewer. Mr Hodges wrote the screenplays for My week with Marilyn and Labrinyth, both book adaptations, but for this series, has said in an interview that he would only adapt the characters from the novel, not the book: " I decided, very early on, that although we’d be influenced by the book and aware of the book, and the characters are based on the characters in the book, we wouldn’t adapt the book.  It’s all new stories.  That’s really the way we looked at it, and that’s the challenge and fun of it.  We wante

High quality production values, the world of post "great" war Birmingham is visceral and we are shown the detailed gritty reality that the characters in this story find themselves in. The "Peaky Blinders" were actually a real gang that existed in Birmingham at the time, and the attention to detail is staggering. The story itself is brilliant, many twists and turns, you find yourself surprised and pleased that the direction you had thought it was going to go, wasn't even close and its something new, and fresh that makes you grin and think - they haven't given up yet, they can still make great TV that is worth watching, each and every week. The style, in that of setting, the way the episodes are filmed, the music - seems distinctly that of The Proposition, Ned Kelly and Lawless. The last is quite coincidental, as Tom Hardy (who portrayed Forrest Bondurant) is making an appearance in the second season. The cast is superb, led by Cillian Murphy and Sam Nei

Two sides to a story? Always. Example - Ned Kelly, one side calls him a hero that stood up to a corrupt police department, the other a murderer and a thief. The arguments for both sides continue. For the continuing saga that is Julian Assange and Wikileaks? Probably a lot more than two. This creates interesting debate, but for filmmakers trying to create a good film, it's a dilemma. Which side do you focus on? (Or sides?) The whole Assange/Wikileaks is now multifaceted and ever changing. Trying to pin it down, would require superhuman speed and he's busy. Bill Condon directs, he has previously directed Dreamgirls and Kinsey, but is probably best known for having directed the last two Twilight films. Something that may connect him to the subject of this film, best known for something you would prefer not to be. (Twilight fans, don't hate me, I enjoyed those films as much as you) For Mr Condon, we will call it "inspiration" - he went to two books, the fir

First time director Robert Stromberg, who has before now, worked as Visual Effects supervisor and earned Academy Awards and been nominated for both that and art direction, turns to a well loved fairy tale and the focus to the villain of the piece, whose name is in the title. With a tight script and even better editing, the story moves with a fast pace to get where it needs to go and tells a great tale of an overlooked character. Angelina Jolie brings great depth to Maleficent and a sense of humour. As I've said before, the best kind of story is when you start sympathising with both hero and villain, and when the two merge, all the better. Ms Jolie also had some influence on the script and also was an executive producer on the film. Sharlto Copley is just as conflicted as King Stefan, Elle Fanning is great as the Princess Aurora and Sam Riley excellent as Diaval. Rounding out the cast are Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville as the three "good fairies",

Anyone familiar with The Vampire Diaries, will remember The Originals. The Original vampires, most dysfunctional (and long living) family ever. Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson all with a thousand year history, find themselves in New Orleans, once their home, which is now ruled by another vampire. The charismatic and charming, Marcel Gerard. (Portrayed by Charles Michael Davis) Much like Mystic Falls, New Orleans has every kind of supernatural, vampire, witch, werewolf, all vying for power and life in the French Quarter. Klaus (portrayed by Joseph Morgan) (hybrid) is there, the currently downtrodden witch community have made contact and he wants to know why. (Phoebe Tonkin portraying Hayley, a werewolf, is a big part of it.) Elijah (portrayed by Daniel Gillies), the big brother of the family, known for being noble and polite, keeping his word, is there to find out what the witches want from his brother. Rebekah, (portrayed by Claire Holt) there is no love lost be

Finding a good thriller these days, is tricky. There are many different factors that have to be taken into account, to ensure it's genuine. The Bourne Legacy came close, the more recent Die Hard went every which way before deciding what was going on and Premium Rush was pretty much - fine. This new Jack Ryan film, the first to not be based on one of Tom Clancy's books, (but based on the characters) is the best thriller I've seen for a long time, far surpassing all the rest. A great thriller, among other things, should have your pulse racing, not stopping until the credits, this film ticked that box most assuredly. It does proud the Tom Clancy name and reputation for excellent story telling and adds its own new energy, with the help of a top rate director, cast and crew. Director first. Kenneth Branagh has directed films before, most recently the first Thor film, mentioned here as like this one, the direction was flawless. A lot of action films these days have s

There are many actors these days, who can convey so much with just their facial expressions. In fact, if technology took a huge step back and we were back in the silent film era, they'd be fine. Keanu Reeves, not so much. Joining this long list of actors, is Nicholas Hoult, who is in this film portrays R, a zombie, which typically involves a lot of grunting and shuffling around. Combined with some first point of view character narration and yes - first class facial expressions that keep the story progressing nicely. Fans of Being Human (UK version) can rejoice, the black comedy in this film is remarkably similar in tone and somehow feels like a continuation of the episode "Type 4". (Series 3, episode 3 if you're curious.) The setting of this story is the zombie apocalypse and one of the surviving humans, is Julie (Teresa Palmer) and after the typical fight/bloodbath, between the two warring communities, she is 'taken in' by R, who is feeling something f

No, not a sequel to the Peter Weir escape from Gulag film starring Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgess. Sorry if the title gave that illusion. This is more a coming of age kind of film, the main character Duncan, is struggling to find his own identity, more of a challenge than usual, his mother's boyfriend is a complete douche (understating things remarkably, but for now, we'll keep the language PG) and constantly belittling him. The story starts once they all arrive at the boyfriend's summer house (Steve Carell on douche duty) and Duncan's mother (Toni Colette) attentions are taken up by the boyfriend's friends and their kids. Annasophia Robb appears here, as Allison Janney's daughter, matching the caliber of acting set by the adults. With the help of a pink bike, Duncan escapes and finds his way to the local water park, where one of the employees Owen (Sam Rockwell acts the hell out of this part) takes him under his wing. This is movie worth watching, thr

On and on it goes, round and round - is what I think when watching the opening scenes of this film. No surprises, the focus is on a playing record, spinning, and the main actors, doing the same thing. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton are Adam and Eve, a very old couple, deeply in love and when the film opens, Adam is in Detroit, and Eve, Tangiers. And they are vampires, although the word is never mentioned in the entirety of the film, just visual clues to let the audience know. Much like Byzantium, only the supporting characters use that word. This film was directed by Jim Jarmusch and considering all the other usual story lines and probable plot devices that a film of this subject that they usually follow, it made a refreshing change to see him use a different one. Most literature in this subject, focus on the physical differences and emotional, less. This one used more psychological and emotional themes and also used the starkness of both filming locations (Detroit and Ta

The old rule of the sequel not living up to the first, of being shoddy quality etc, is fast being eroded by the high quality of those now being made. Catching Fire, Star Trek into Darkness, the Harry Potter films, and now this one. The real strength of this film are the actors and accordingly, the focus is on them for the full two hours and twenty minutes. (That and the off the wall - literally, special effects) Andrew Garfield is truly a wonder and in this he brings the torment of the young and torn superhero to the screen in a skilful fashion. Joining him once more - Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey, his off again, on again girlfriend and Sally Field, his aunt May, worrying and caring for him in near equal measure. Joining him for the first time, Dane DeHaan as his long lost friend Harry Osborn (his father is portrayed by Chris Cooper), and Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon, who becomes the title villain of this piece. Marton Csokas, is a doctor and Paul Giamatti pops in too, near the end.

Bryan Singer, director of the X Men films (most of them), directs this thrill a millisecond ride to perfection. Millisecond may be overstating things, but considering this film has giants as the bad guys, with the incomparable Bill Nighy as their two headed leader, well - overstated turns to understated, very quickly. Stanley Tucci and the rest of the cast are quite excellent too. Nicholas Hoult, known for Wah Wah, Warm Bodies, X Men Origins (and soon the sequel) portrays the archetype Jack, here a farm boy with his head in the clouds, who soon is swept up into them - literally, when some beans, water and a Princess (Eleanor Tomlinson) come into his life. The plot line kind of has a Shanghai Noon vibe to it, which is interesting. He joins the King's (Ian McShane) men on a mission to rescue her, which includes Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner and Eddie Marsan. With some spectacular special effects, giant bean stalks are climbed on and the giants' world is something else to l

Once again, a sequel that is just as entertaining, if not more than the first, is made. A new trend in film making, long may it continue. That said, one of the crucial aspects, keeping the same actors from the original was slightly  overlooked with one - Josh Dallas who portrayed Fandral was kept too busy with the TV series Once Upon a Time - to be able to film this. So Zachary Levi stepped in, who was actually in line to play the character originally. And unlike sequels that attempt changes in casting, its not painfully obvious. Alright, as far as minor missteps in sequels are concerned, not a big deal. Moving on. The new villain of the day, the main one - Malekith, returns to darken the doorstep - literally - with the aether and his army of Dark Elves, not a cheerful bunch that you'd expect to be helping Father Christmas with his annual journey, more a black eyed army of fighters out to destroy the universe. And it gets personal this time, Thor's love Jane Foster is

Director and writer Destin Daniel Crettin has crafted a truly beautiful film, based on his own experiences working in a group home, for teenagers with nowhere else to go. Its painfully realistic, but with small moments of humour, that don't feel forced or corny. Those in the film business, no matter what position you hold, film students also, should take note. Every aspect of this film is perfect. Including the handheld camera work, its personal and it moves but you don't feel dizzy. The acting also - Brie Larson, John Gallagher Jr, Keith Stanfield Kaitlyn Dever and Rami Malek and the other kids are utterly brilliant and believable, especially the two leads, Ms Larson and Mr Gallagher, understated and excellent. Its not a pretty picture, but the hope that comes from all of them is worth the retail price alone.

Before seeing this film, I saw a review which included the criticism that it was "...lightweight entertainment, that doesn't make you think too hard." Within five minutes of my viewing of this fine film, it became increasingly obvious that the reviewer making this remark had obviously been watching something else entirely. Mel Brook's The Producers perhaps. (No offence meant to this film or to Mr Brooks, the film is of the highest quality comedies, as its director.) George Clooney, wearing many different hats as director, producer, co-writer and main character, shines under all of them, bringing a little known story to life. Co-writer Grant Heslov also has a small cameo, as does the great composer of this movie: Alexandre Desplat. That of the thousands of art stolen from all over Europe, to be placed in the Fuhrer Museum. And the lesser known story of the Monuments Men, men chosen for their expertise in the field of art, architecture and sculpture. They were

From experience of other Jason Reitman directed films, I was halfway expecting another circular storyline, whereby the main character goes through some major experience but emerges at the other side only to return to his or her life without any changes. Of course, the experiences for young Henry, son of Adele (portrayed by Gattlin Griffith and Kate Winslet respectively) one Labour Day weekend, aren't exactly of the norm, i.e. a teenage pregnancy or mid-life crisis. While out in the Price-Mart store, he is accosted by a man, later identified as escaped convict Frank Chambers (portrayed by Josh Brolin) and notices immediately, as do we, that he's bleeding. Frank subtly makes Henry and his mother go to the car and he gets her to drive them to their house. The first quarter of the film is quite tense, the score very reminiscent of the one from The Proposition, but as the not very circular storyline develops and progresses, it relaxes a little, only to be upped up a few (thous

There have been many productions over the years where one actor is making up half or at least a quarter of the whole cast. Jim Carrey as both Charlie Baileygates and Hank Evans in Me Myself and Irene, Toni Collette as Tara Gregson, Alice, Bryce, Buck, T, Chicken, Gimmie and Shoshana, Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert, Katherine Pierce and Amara (Sorry Spoilers!), to name but a stunning few. And now Orphan Black, where Golden Globe nominee, Tatiana Maslany is Sarah Manning, a girl living on the streets and off her wits, who discovers Elizabeth Childs, Alison Hendrix and Cosima Niehaus, all identical to her and she finds that they aren't related, technically - they're clones. Clones is another very interesting theme to tackle, you have the ethics, the science, the consequences to look at and examine. In this show, the clones are under threat from something or someone unknown. Jordan Gavaris portrays Sarah's foster brother, Felix and Kevin Hanchard is Detective Art Bell, El

From what I could see from the IMDb lukewarm response, it appears that British humour doesn't necessarily translate that well when it is presented to American audiences. (Especially when the accent, local vocabulary are both a bit tricky to get into). Anyone who loved Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels will be completely won over. Which is sad, because this is one highly entertaining film. I was laughing at every well crafted joke in the film, and loved every moment. Based on the TV series, in 1975 its a cops show in essence, tough guys being rough with suspected and known criminals. Ray Winstone is the main character, DI Jack Regan, proving that age doesn't slow a guy down (not too much at least) and making wisecracks at every opportunity. Plan B (Ben Drew) is his right hand man, DC George Carter and the two work well as the head of the team, the Flying Squad, which the rest of the crew are portrayed by Hayley Atwell, Caroline Chikezie, Allen Leech, Ronnie Fox,

Since (and probably before) Bram Stoker wrote Dracula, we have always been fascinated with the supernatural. But who would have guessed that a book first published in 1897, based on a real person: Vlad Tepes III aka Vlad the Impaler, who lived back in the 15th Century , would have spawned such a huge range of other stories, all devoted to the undead, even the lycanthrope, two hundred years after Dracula was first published? (Quick note - in the TV series Da Vinci's Demons, the character of Vlad is actually used in one episode, correctly portrayed as the ruler of Wallachia. Funnily enough, the actor who portrays him is Paul Rhys, who had a small recurring role in some episodes of a TV series: Being Human. More on that later) Not me. Now, staying with the undead to begin with, at one at the scale, (staying with the best known for now) we have the Twilight Series. This end of the scale, named the G rated area, we have the vampires that "sparkle" in the sun instead of