Author Archives: Sam S-P

About Sam S-P

Writer and film fanatic fond of black comedies, sci-fi, animation and films about dysfunctional families.

The Work of Rich Kelly

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Sam S-P

This gallery contains 13 photos.

These are awesome!

More Galleries | Leave a comment

Series Retrospective: Planet of the Apes

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Sam S-P

Haven’t done one of these in a while. With the imminent release of Matt Reeves’ DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, I thought I’d go back and examine where the Apes franchise began nearly 50 years ago, where it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature | Tagged Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Charlton Heston, Claude Akins, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Film, Hari Rhodes, James Franciscus, Jerry Goldsmith, John Chambers, Kim Hunter, Matt Reeves, Movies, Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Roddy McDowall, Satire, Sci-fi, Tim Burton | 1 Comment

Review: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Posted on June 29, 2014 by Sam S-P

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB is a rewarding film about mortality, against-the-odds achievement, and a brutal critique of big business pharmaceuticals, but it becomes a really great film when it gets into analysing prejudice (for all the good it does). In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Brad Pitt, Craig Borten, Dallas Buyers Club, Drama, Film, Frank Capra, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Kevin Rankin, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Movies, Ryan Gosling, The Wolf of Wall Street, Woody Harrelson | Leave a comment

Playing Catchup: The Japanese Edition

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Sam S-P

A few more films I’ve (to my shame) only seen for the first time recently. This time, I’ve headed to the Land of the Rising Sun, and come back better for it. SEVEN SAMURAI (1955) Akira Kurosawa’s seminal epic was … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature | Tagged Akira Kurosawa, Animation, Film, Hayao Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle, Movies, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Seven Samurai, Spirited Away, Toshirô Mifune, World Cinema, Zulu | Leave a comment

Review: Dead Man Down (2013)

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Sam S-P

Sometimes a really interesting central relationship is enough to elevate a pretty generic gangster movie, and DEAD MAN DOWN is a pretty generic gangster movie. Having a good director and a strong lead pair of actors on board doesn’t hurt … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Colin Farrell, Dead Man Down, Dominic Cooper, Film, Gangster Film, Hitchcock, Isabelle Huppert, Movies, Niels Arden Oplev, Noomi Rapace, Terrance Howard, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Thriller | 1 Comment

Review: RoboCop (2014)

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Sam S-P

Is it bad to be annoyed that I don’t hate José Padilha‘s ROBOCOP remake quite as much as I expected to? Don’t get me wrong, it’s bad, but not THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 bad. In an updated take on the dystopian … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Abbie Cornish, Action, Film, Gary Oldman, Jackie Earle Haley, Jay Baruchel, Joel Kinnaman, John Paul Ruttan, José Padilha, MGM, Michael Keaton, Movies, Paul Verhoeven, RoboCop, Samuel L. Jackson, Sci-fi, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | 1 Comment

Review: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Sam S-P

Sometimes a clever little tweak to formula is enough to make a film memorable. EDGE OF TOMORROW is a solid and entertaining sci-fi action film, with good performances, but it wouldn’t be particularly notable if you threw out the unconventional … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged 2001: A Space Odyssey, Action, Aliens, All You Need Is KIll, Bill Paxton, Black Comedy, Blade Runner, Blockbuster, Brandan Gleeson, Doug Liman, Edge of Tomorrow, Elysium, Emily Blunt, Gears of War, Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Sci-fi, Tom Cruise | Leave a comment

The (Very Very Belated) Worst Films of 2013 List

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Sam S-P

I tend to be pretty selective in the films I choose to watch. I’m not one of those guys who has to see absolutely everything, and would probably never pay to see something that’s been universally panned on release. Yeah … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature | Tagged A Good Day to Die Hard, A Haunted House, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Bryan Singer, Film, G.I. JOE: Retaliation, Jack the Giant Slayer, Jai Courtney, Marlon Wayans, Movie 43, Movies, Murder-mystery, Netflix, Oblivion, Prometheus, Ridley Scott, Robin Hood, Sci-fi, Scott Walker, Sharknado, The Counsellor, The Frozen Ground, The Rock, World War Z | Leave a comment

Review: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Sam S-P

Not long now until DreamWorks’ much-anticipated animated sequel HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 is released. The filmmakers have hinted that THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was an influence in how they approached expanding the story in the second instalment, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged America Ferrera, Animation, Chris Sanders, Craig Ferguson, Dean DeBlois, DreamWorks, Fantasy, Film, Gerard Butler, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Jay Baruchel, John Powell, Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, Movies, Pixar, The Empire Strikes Back, William Davies | 1 Comment

Review: Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Sam S-P

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR stole the show at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, with critics showering it with praise for the sterling work of writer-director Abdellatif Kechiche, and particularly the film’s two leads Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Review | Tagged Abdellatif Kechiche, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Film, Léa Seydoux, Movies, Romance, Shortbus, World Cinema | 2 Comments