About Sam S-P
Writer and film fanatic fond of black comedies, sci-fi, animation and films about dysfunctional families.
Happy Star Wars Day everyone! I have a confession to make…I like STAR WARS: EPISODE III – REVENGE OF THE SITH. Ten years on and it’s still divisive amongst fans, but for me it’s the best of the Star Wars … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature
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Tagged A New Hope, Attack of the Clones, Ben Burt, Empire Strikes Back, Fantasy, Film, Frank Oz, George Lucas, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Industrial Light & Magic, John Williams, Matthew Wood, Movies, Natalie Portman, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith, Sci-fi, Star Wars
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This might be staying the obvious, but the problem with setting the bar ever higher is that each time it’s a harder task to clear it. Marvel might well have now reached that stage. The studio has become synonymous with … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blockbuster, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chappie, Chris Hemsworth, Elizabeth Olsen, Film, Frankenstein, James Spader, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Man of Steel, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, Movies, Paul Bettany, Richard Donner, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Superhero Movie, The Avengers, The Avengers: Age of Ultron
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If you enjoyed FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, chances are you’ll love this film too. It’s a spoof vampire sitcom much in the vein of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s previous comic stylings, but the performances, the gags and the treatment … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Ben Fransham, Comedy, Dracula, Film, Flight of the Conchords, Horror, Interview with the Vampire, Jackie van Beek, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh, Lost Boys, Mockumentary, Movies, Nosferatu, Rhys Darby, Sitcom, Taika Waititi, What We Do in the Shadows
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I know in the past I’ve defended Mark Steven Johnson’s much-derided Ben Affleck-led DAREDEVIL, but even I’ll admit it looks pretty ropey compared to Marvel’s latest forrey onto the small screen. It will surprise nobody to learn that Marvel/Netflix’s Daredevil … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature, Television
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Tagged AKA Jessica Jones, Ben Affleck, Charlie Cox, Daredevil, Drew Goddard, Elden Henson, Film, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Mark Steven Johnson, Marvel, Movies, Netflix, Steven S DeKnight, Superhero, TV, Vincent D'Onofrio
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You could do a whole separate film about Mr Brown’s myriad personal issues. You could probably do a whole film based just on the impact of Brown’s music during the Vietnam War (covered in a single scene here) but as … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Biopic, Bronson, Chadwick Boseman, Dan Aykroyd, Drama, Film, Get on Up, Jamarion Scott, James Brown, Jordan Scott, Lennie James, Movies, Nelson Ellis, Tate Taylor, Viola Davis
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NIGHTCRAWLER skewers the news industry mercilessly, perhaps the most brutal deconstruction of the business since Sidney Lumet’s superlative NETWORK. It’s hard-hitting and often shocking, but it also works as an example of the very murkiest of black comedies. Louis Bloom … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged American Beauty, Black Comedy, Bourne, Cliff Martinez, Dan Gilroy, Drama, Drive, Faye Dunaway, Film, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Newton Howard, Movies, Network, Nightcrawler, Prince of Persia, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed, Sidney Lumet, Tony Gilroy
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This gallery contains 9 photos.
Some awesome work –
Something is changing at a grass-roots level, even if the Hollywood establishment don’t quite seem ready to accept it. On Sunday night at the 2015 Jameson Empire Awards, the film awards voted for entirely by the public, Andy Serkis was … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Comment
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Tagged Andy Serkis, Avatar, Blockbuster, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Empire Awards, Empire Magazine, Film, Hollywood, Motion Capture, Movies, Oscars, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Superhero Movie, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings, YouTube
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It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but I have a confession to make…last night I watched FIELD OF DREAMS, and I don’t see what all the fuss is about. It’s one of those movies that a … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Feature
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Tagged Amy Madigan, Burt Lancaster, Drama, Fantasy, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner, Phil Alden Robinson, Ray Liotta, Sports Film, Timothy Busfield
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It’s true what you’ve heard, THE BABADOOK is very good. But is it really all that scary? I’m not so sure. Set in suburban Australia, The Babadook follows working mother Amelia (Essie Davis) who is left caring for her child … Continue reading →
Posted in Film, Film Review
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Tagged Daniel Henshall, Drama, Essie Davis, Film, German Expressionism, Haley McElhinney, Horror, Jennifer Kent, Movies, Noah Wiseman, Psychological Drama, Snowtown, The Babadook, The Exorcist, William Friedkin
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All Hail Caesar and His Empire!
Something is changing at a grass-roots level, even if the Hollywood establishment don’t quite seem ready to accept it. On Sunday night at the 2015 Jameson Empire Awards, the film awards voted for entirely by the public, Andy Serkis was … Continue reading →