About Sam S-P
Writer and film fanatic fond of black comedies, sci-fi, animation and films about dysfunctional families.
With BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE finally hitting theatres, I thought I’d take a look at some of DC’s two most iconic heroes’ cinematic outings of the past – the good, the bad, and the mishandled. Best Batman: BATMAN: … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature
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Tagged Alicia Silverstone, Annette O'Toole, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Batman, Batman & Robin, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman: Under the Red Hood, Bruce Greenwood, Chris O'Donnell, Christopher Nolan, Christopher Reeve, DC, Gene Hackman, Kevin Conroy, Margot Kidder, Michael Keaton, Richard Donner, Richard Lester, Richard Pryor, Robert Vaughan, Superhero Movie, Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, The Dark Knight, Tim Burton, Uma Thurman, Zack Snyder
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Who needs an expository text dump to establish your film’s world? The state of the future in THE SURVIVALIST is illustrated as simply as it could possibly be with two coloured lines representing oil production and the human population steadily … Continue reading →
In 2000 audiences and critics across the world were blown away by CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. The product of international co-operation between studios and directed by Ang Lee, an auteur celebrated both in his native Taiwan and China and in … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Ang Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bioware, China Film Group, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, Donnie Yen, Dragon Age, Film, Jackie Chan, Jason Scott Lee, Jet Li, Martial Arts, Mass Effect, Michelle Yeoh, Movies, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Netflix, Oscars, Quentin Tarantino, Seven Samurai, Sylvester Stallone, Yuen Woo-Ping
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The problem when you have a really good run is that even the slightest stumble becomes very noticeable. Over the last decade NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, A SERIOUS MAN and especially INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS made you forget that these … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged A Serious Man, Alden Ehrenreich, Bob Hoskins, Channing Tatum, Charlton Heston, Comedy, Eddie Mannix, Film, Film noir, Gene Kelly, George Clooney, Hail Caesar!, Hollywoodland, Inside Llewyn Davis, Josh Brolin, Movies, No Country for Old Men, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Burton, Roger Deakins, Singin' in the Rain, The Coen Brothers, The Ladykillers, The Majestic, Trumbo
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It’s almost unthinkable, I know, but what would it mean if BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE bombs critically and/or commercially when it is finally released later this month? At the very least it might sound the death knell for … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Comment
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Tagged Avengers: Infinity War, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck, Blockbuster, Christopher Nolan, Deadpool, Film, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, Jeremy Irons, Jesse Eisenberg, Justice League, Man of Steel, Movies, Peter Jackson, Suicide Squad, Superhero Movie, The Dark Knight, Warner Brothers, Wonder Woman, Zack Snyder
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The first stretch of PAN combines the orphans and workhouse of OLIVER TWIST with the WWII setting and fantasy bleeding into the real world of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA. . Then things go all Terry Gilliam but with less verve … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Family Film, Fantasy, Film, Garrett Hedlund, Hugh Jackman, JM Barrie, Joe Wright, Levi Miller, Movies, Nirvana, Oliver Twist, Pan, Peter Pan, Rooney Mara, Terry Gilliam, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Ramones
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It’s that time again: enough sand has passed through the hourglass of eternity to discuss another classic in retrospective fashion. This week marks the 20th Anniversary of TRAINSPOTTING, Danny Boyle’s striking adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s game-changing novel about Edinburgh heroin … Continue reading →
Posted in Classic Film, Film, Film Feature, Film Review
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Tagged Black Comedy, Classic Film, Danny Boyle, Drama, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Film, Iggy Pop, Irvine Welsh, John Hodge, Leftfield, Lou Reed, Masahiro Hirakubo, Movies, Robert Carlyle, Trainspotting, Underworld
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SLOW WEST is a bit of a stunner. It’s been an interesting few years for the Western, with few traditional examples but plenty of sideways looks and genre hybrids making noise and proving there’s still life in this (very) old … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Black Comedy, Film, John Mclean, Karen Pistorius, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Macbeth, Michael Fassbender, Movies, Slow West, The Salvation, Western
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DEADPOOL is exactly what it should be. It’s not big (by superhero standards) and it’s not clever but it’s lewd, violent and supremely self-aware, just like its titular scarlet-clad antihero. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) makes a dishonest living as a … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Black Comedy, Briana Hildebrand, Deadpool, Ed Skrein, Film, Gina Carano, Keira Knightley, Monty Python, Morena Baccarin, Movies, Nolan North, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds, Stefan Kapicic, Superhero Movie, The Voices, TJ Miller, X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine
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Almost Ridders, almost. This is undoubtedly the best thing Ridley Scott has produced in over a decade. For me though, THE MARTIAN doesn’t quite justify the plaudits it has received, but yeah it’s good. That’s pretty much it. You want … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Alien, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Drew Goddard, Film, Golden Globes, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Jaws, Jessica Chastain, Jurassic Park, Mackenzie Davis, Matt Damon, Movies, Prometheus, Ridley Scott, Sci-fi, The Martian, The Revenant, Total Recall
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SSP Thinks Film 
If Batman v Superman somehow bombs, what then?
It’s almost unthinkable, I know, but what would it mean if BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE bombs critically and/or commercially when it is finally released later this month? At the very least it might sound the death knell for … Continue reading →