Author Archives: Sam S-P

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About Sam S-P

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

Fifteen Shades of Black: Part 1

This article was originally published on Subtitled Online May 2013 If there’s a single thing filmmakers working in Britain and Ireland do well it’s black comedy. Perhaps you can blame the awful weather – you have to find brightness in … Continue reading

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Review: The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is an interesting, if flawed film. It works incredibly well, in part. The plot is effectively split into three distinct chapters focussing on different characters who rarely interact, but whose actions spill into successive stories and have … Continue reading

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The Very Best of Bond

I’m not going to lie, I’ve not always been a fan of James Bond. In fact, up until a few years ago, my Bond knowledge was limited to CASINO ROYALE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, GOLDENEYE, DIE ANOTHER DAY and…OCTOPUSSY. They just weren’t … Continue reading

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Top 10 Screen Sword Fights

Who doesn’t love a good sword fight? An essential element of classic swashbuckling adventures, this type of action set-piece lives on as a way to liven up any film by pushing two or more characters (usually a “goodie” and a “baddie”) into passionate, personal, and violent … Continue reading

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Beyond the Valley of the Casting

It’s been announced that various independent film companies have banded together to make yet another film about making a film titled RUSS & ROGER GO BEYOND. Set to tell the story of the collaboration between trash auteur Russ Meyer and … Continue reading

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Film Confessional #4: Lost in Translation

I have a confession to make…I really don’t like LOST IN TRANSLATION. Sofia Coppola’s critically applauded, Oscar-winning mediation on life, love and other stuff not only didn’t connect with me on an emotional, intellectual, or philosophical level, but I often … Continue reading

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Review: Doomsday (2008)

DOOMSDAY is by far the weakest link in British writer-director Neil Marshall’s career so far. Following a pair of highly original horror films DOG SOLDIERS and THE DESCENT, Marshall endeavoured to continue his run of success, and sadly as soon as he brought sci-fi … Continue reading

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Review: Flight (2012)

FLIGHT is a solid high-concept drama for the most part, and is certainly the best thing Robert Zemeckis has done in a long time. The story of William “Whip” Whitaker (Denzel Washington), a skilled airline pilot with a severe dependence … Continue reading

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Breaking Bad: A Very Filmic Television Experience

BREAKING BAD has now come to a glorious end, and it really was a television marvel. The show, about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher cooking crystal meth to secure his family’s future, was thematically layered, beautifully performed, perfectly paced, artfully filmed and … Continue reading

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Smaug Speaks!

  Behold! We’ve been offered another peak at Peter Jackson’s second chapter of Bilbo’s adventure THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, and it looks pretty promising. We get glowering Legolas, again played by Orlando Bloom (looking noticeably chunkier a decade on), … Continue reading

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