Walk The Line is fashioned as a rock biopic of Johnny Cash, but it isn’t really. Apart from brief scenes suggesting the rags-to-riches beginnings, it is more about the relationship between Cash and his eventual wife, June Carter. It does this perhaps because we have seen the story before; poor…
Audition Audition is a rather dull film until the last half hour. A man loses his wife to sickness and, after seven years as a widower, he has a friend who fakes an audition for a film in order for him to meet someone. He picks a girl and starts…
I really shouldn't see a film after the Oscar nominations are announced; it colours the way I see the film. 'Why does this deserve to be nominated?' my annoying inner voice shouts. There were a lot of women in the cinema I saw the film, for two main reasons: it…
A Cock and Bull Story is a film about the making of a film adaptation of the reputedly unfilmable novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. Written in 1760, it is considered something of a classic by value of the fact that it is post-modern…
I recently got the Ultimate box set of Back to the Future and was rewatching the sequels again. At the end of BTTF3, I suddenly thought about Doc & Clara’s existence – what happens to them and the kids? Clara was supposed to have died; she is now out of…
Mr & Mrs Smith Pretty people shooting and blowing shit up is mighty fine entertainment for a Saturday night. It’s not a great film, by any means, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to a popcorn flick. It’s a simple enough tale – Mr (Brad Pitt)…
I don't even know where to start. I am constantly editing my thoughts on this film as there is probably not enough space to discuss it. The question is, how did Guy Ritchie end up making this film? And what went wrong? Revolver, as a title, doesn't seem to refer…
It might not be cool to espouse the opinion that Michael Bay can make a visually slick film but, there, I’ve said it. Yes, he has a fondness bordering on the fetish for explosions and car chases, and his films can never be regarded as complex. However, if you want…
It’s a strange thing, nostalgia. It affects people differently. There are people, for example, who believe that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a classic, Gene Wilder among them. They love the songs and Wilder’s performance and the ‘70s of it all. Personally, I put that down to seeing…
When I heard this was being made, I did wonder what the point of it was. I’m not saying you can’t remake things, but I couldn’t see the purpose behind having another go at a story that has been told many times in a variety of different media. But I…