Having recently moved back home after graduating from University, the themes articulated in Mike Nichols’ 1967 sophomore feature The Graduate are beginning to seem horrendously pertinent. Not in a I’m-going-to-break-up-a-wedding-to-the-tune-of-Simon-and-Garfunkel type of way; more in the nuances of Dustin Hoffman’s performance, an incredibly visionary piece of acting that still resonates to this day, from one […]Read More
“I have decided that, for the rest of the day, we are going to talk like this” Billy Crystal says in a incomprehensible accent to Meg Ryan, about halfway through When Harry Met Sally. As he ad-libs, Meg Ryan laughs and looks to her right at director Rob Reiner. Out of frame, he silently prompts […]Read More
Ahhh, Scotland. Home to rolling hills, colourful cities and stunning landscapes, it’s a fine example of what it means to be privileged with the great outdoors. But not for everyone. Meet Renton (Ewan McGregor), SickBoy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewan Bremner), Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle) – Scotland’s most helpless, volatile and drug-dependent […]Read More
Considered to be Quentin Tarintino’s finest film to date, Pulp Fiction has since become an international cult favourite that still dominates the cinematic landscape to this day. Deliciously noir and darkly entertaining, the film chronicles the effects of living the high-life; peppered with drugs, alcohol, gambling and the odd foot massage. “I want to do […]Read More
A deliciously British comedy-drama is the perfect recipe for a feel-good film. Mix in eight hopeful Oxbridge adolescents, three teachers and one school that is determined to see their history department become famous for admitting some of Yorkshire’s cleverest minds into the realms of Oxford and Cambridge. “Mr. Hector’s stuff’s not meant for the exam, […]Read More
If you have a free evening or afternoon, spending 90 or so minutes watching any Hitchcock film is a valuable expenditure of one’s time, more so if one in is actively interested in the moving image in any form. If you haven’t seen much Hitchcock, The 39 Steps is a pretty good place to start, not […]Read More
If you’re familiar with my articles on here, you’ll probably be aware of the fact that I have my father to thank for introducing me to some of the world’s greatest films. Despite watching the likes of Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction when I was maybe just a litttttle too young, I only got round to […]Read More
Withnail and I, stunningly British in every way and an iconic representation of the lives of two struggling actors, desperate for their big break. Set in Camden Town in 1969, Withnail (Richard E Grant) and ‘I’ (Paul McGann), a pair of substance abusing actors who are keen to escape the horrors of their squalid flat and […]Read More
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt Synopsis: After a space merchant vessel perceives an unknown transmission as a distress call, their landing on the source moon finds one of the crew attacked by a mysterious life-form, and soon realise that its life cycle has merely begun. Alongside Star Wars and The Godfather, Alien is one […]Read More
Starring: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette Summary: After a group of teenage thieves found out an old blind man is sitting on a pot of gold, they decide to break into his house for an easy reward. However, the tables turn and this blind man is not as helpless as they thought. When most modern […]Read More
Starring: Miles Teller, JK Simmons Summary: Written and Directed by newcomer Damien Chazelle, who’s modern day musical La La Land is breaking records this award season. Chazelle’s first wide release film made a few years earlier, Whiplash centres on Teller’s character and his relationship with his drumming instructor JK Simmons. Not a fan of jazz music? Well, you’ll […]Read More
Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Donald Pleasence, Nancy Kyes. Synopsis: Halloween is the ultimate predecessor to the 80s slasher films and the perfect film for this time of year. At it’s heart, John Carpenter’s Halloween is classic horror at its best. The story of Michael Myers, and the narration of the film, begin on the Halloween […]Read More
Starring: James Stewart, Peggy Dow, Josephine Hull, Charles Drake. Synopsis: Elwood, a mannerly 42-year-old gentleman with a penchant for martinis, has a personally unique best friend in the form of a six-foot-tall white rabbit named Harvey – who is also a Pooka, a spirit that is able to take the form of animals. When Elwood’s imaginary humanoid rabbit friend […]Read More
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson and Amy Adams. Synopsis: Set in a futuristic Los Angeles, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) a lonely card writer, is reluctant to face the final stages of his divorce, and as a result, finds refuge by playing video games in order to suppress the reality that he is unable to face. […]Read More
Revolutionary Road wasn’t a film that I would have typically watched at the age of 13 when it was released. However, I had an undying love for Leonardo DiCaprio at the time and profusely pleaded with my mother to allow me to go see it. Of course at the time, I didn’t even know what […]Read More
