About Sam S-P
Writer and film fanatic fond of black comedies, sci-fi, animation and films about dysfunctional families.
Did you really have to put the talking mice in it again, Disney? Rodents shouldn’t have facial expressions! I’ve never really had that much affection for Walt’s 1950 animated “classic” – I always found it a bit simpering and wet. … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Ben Chaplin, Cate Blanchett, Cinderella, Derek Jacobi, Disney, Eloise Webb, Fantasy, Film, Hayley Atwell, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Kenneth Branagh, Lily James, Maleficent, Movies, Patrick Doyle, Richard Madden, Romance, Sandy Powell, Sophie McShera
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From the moment we see the gun barrel sequence back in its rightful place right after the studio logos, SPECTRE makes its intention clear – we are firmly back to formula. Following revelations made at his childhood home, James Bond … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Andrew Scott, Ben Whishaw, Blockbuster, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Craig, Dave Bautista, Film, From Russia With Love, James Bond, Léa Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, Movies, Naomi Harris, Quantum of Solace, Ralph Fiennes, Sam Mendes, Sam Smith, Skyfall, Spectre, Spy Film, The Spy Who Loved Me
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This is the segment where I pick apart a well-worn film series and see how well it’s aged, and how well it hasn’t. In the leadup to Halloween I’ve revisited Sam Raimi’s beloved horror-comedy series EVIL DEAD. Groovy. THE EVIL … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature
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Tagged Army of Darkness, Ash vs Evil Dead, Black Comedy, Bruce Campbell, Comedy, Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Film, Horror, Jane Levy, Movies, Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead, Three Stooges
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Poor old Guillermo, why does nobody want to see your movies on the big screen? The worrying thing about CRIMSON PEAK being the second del Toro film in a row to underwhelm at the box office (despite the considerable draw … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Crimson Peak, Curse of Frankenstein, Film, Gothic Romance, Guillermo del Toro, Hammer, Horror, J-Horror, Jessica Chastain, Matthew Robbins, Mia Wasikowska, Movies, Peter Cushing, Peter Jackson, The Devil's Backbone, Tom Hiddleston
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By rights, there should have been more films made on the campaign for women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom by now. It’s a great story that is more relevant than ever today, and it’s completely dumbfounding that 2015 sees the … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Abi Morgan, Adam Michael Dodd, Adrian Schiller, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Cary Mulligan, David Lloyd George, Emeline Pankhurst, Film, Geoff Bell, Helena Bonham Carter, Historical Drama, Meryl Streep, Movies, Pride, Srah Gavron, Suffragette
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It’s an equally enticing and scary prospect for STAR WARS fans, the thought that if THE FORCE AWAKENS really does deliver on all it promises, then THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK will no longer be the quintessential trip to a Galaxy … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Comment
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Tagged Ben Burtt, Blockbuster, Fantasy, Film, George Lucas, JJ Abrams, John Williams, Lawrence Kasdan, Movies, Return of the Jedi, Sci-fi, Space Opera, Star Trek, Star Trek into Darkness, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII, The Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens
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In case you were wondering, SICARIO opens with a card establishing that the term is derived from a Roman slur for violent Hebrew zealots and translates as “hitman” from Spanish. These dual definitions hint at two of the many … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Benicio del Toro, Daniel Kaluuya, Denis Villeneuve, Drama, Emily Blunt, Film, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Jon Bernthal, Josh Brolin, Movies, Sicario, Thriller
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Everyone knows the Scottish Play. Featuring characters and dialogue iconic enough to ingrain itself in culture the world over, you need very little help to make this story memorable. But director Justin Kurzel doesn’t do anything by halves, and has … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged David Thewlis, Drama, Film, Jack Reynor, Jed Kurzel, Justin Kurzel, Kayla Fallon, Lynn Kennedy, Macbeth, Mad Max: Fury Road, Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender, Movies, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Seylan Baxter, Shakespeare, Snowtown
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It’s that time again – time to fill in a few holes in my film knowledge. Until a couple of months ago, my knowledge of Paul Thomas Anderson, considered my many critics to be the greatest auteur working today, was … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature, Film Review
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Tagged Alfred Molina, Boogie Nights, Burt Reynolds, Daniel Day-Lewis, Don Cheadle, Drama, Film, Heather Graham, Inherent Vice, Jonny Greenwood, Julianne Moore, Magnolia, Mark Wahlberg, Movies, Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master, There Will Be Blood, William H Macey
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I haven’t done one of these for a while, I don’t think since the first year of this blog. This is the segment where I pick apart a film series and see how well it’s aged, and how well it … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature
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Tagged Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Bill Nighy, Blockbuster, Chow Yun-Fat, Disney, Family, Fantasy, Film, Geoffrey Rush, Hammer, Hans Zimmer, Hunger Games, Ian McShane, ILM, Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Keith Richards, Movies, Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Sam Clafin, Tom Hollander
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SSP Thinks Film 
If The Force Awakens really is that good, what then?
It’s an equally enticing and scary prospect for STAR WARS fans, the thought that if THE FORCE AWAKENS really does deliver on all it promises, then THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK will no longer be the quintessential trip to a Galaxy … Continue reading →