Category Archives: Film Feature

Film Confessional: Seventh Son

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Sam S-P

I have a confession to make…I rather liked SEVENTH SON. But this isn’t going to be one of those times where I’m going to defend a much-derided work to the ends of the Earth. Seventh Son is pretty bad, there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature, Film Review | Tagged Ben Barnes, Fantasy, Film, Jeff Bridges, JRR Tolkien, Julianne Moore, Marco Beltrami, Movies, Olivia Williams, Pantomime, Seventh Son, Terry Pratchett, The Dark Knight Rises, Van Helsing | Leave a comment

“Enough about me, let’s talk about me…”: When Actors Play Themselves (Sort-of)

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Sam S-P

What’s an actor to do when your star persona becomes a joke? You embrace it of course, and let the audience know that you’re in on the gag. It can be incredibly self-indulgent if mishandled, but if pitched just right … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature, Television | Tagged Alejandro Iñárritu, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Batman, Batman: The Animated Series, Being John Malkovich, Birdman, Bruce Campbell, Charlie Kaufman, Christopher Nolan, Colin Baker, Doctor Who, Edward Norton, Extras, Film, Flash Gordon, Jeremy Renner, John Barrowman, John Malkovich, Last Action Hero, Liam Neeson, Life's Too Short, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, Movies, My Name Is Bruce, Olivia Colman, Paul McGann, Peter Davidson, Peter Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Robert Downey Jr, Sam Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Stephen Merchant, Steven Moffat, Sylvester McCoy, The Five(Ish) Doctors, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Office, TV | Leave a comment

40 Years On: Jaws (1975)

Posted on June 20, 2015 by Sam S-P

On 20 June 1975, something came from the water to change the landscape of summer movie releases forever. 40 years on, and, rubber shark aside, JAWS is still an astounding piece of filmmaking, a masterpiece that bridges classic Hollywood and … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Film, Film Feature, Film Review | Tagged Bad Hat Harry, Blockbuster, Bryan Singer, Classic Film, Film, Hollywood, Jaws, John Williams, Movies, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider, Steven Spielberg, Thriller, Tintin | 6 Comments

10 Years, 10 Spectacular Sci-fi Films (2005-2014)

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Sam S-P

Science fiction has become a film genre increasingly derivative and dispiritingly inconsistent in quality in recent years. 2012’s TOTAL RECALL was a terrible remake and PROMETHEUS was arguably guilty of cheapening its own source material, the ALIEN series, by existing … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature | Tagged Alex Garland, Alfonso Cuarón, Alien, Alive in Joberg, Andy Serkis, Aubrey Plaza, Ben Burtt, Bong Joon-ho, Children of Men, Christopher Nolan, Clive Owen, Colin Trevorrow, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Danny Boyle, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, District 9, Film, Firefly, Fox, Inception, Interstellar, Joss Whedon, Jurassic World, Looper, Mad Max, Mark Duplass, Movies, Neill Blomkamp, Pixar, Predestination, Prometheus, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Safety Not Guaranteed, Sarah Snook, Sci-fi, Serenity, Sharlto Copley, Snowpiercer, Spierig Brothers, Sunshine, Total Recall, WALL-E | 5 Comments

A Few Thoughts More: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Sam S-P

The following contains spoilers for AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON. I’ve seen Marvel’s second super-team-up a few times now, and my initial reaction (it’s alright, I guess…) remains much the same. Let’s get into a few more things I picked up … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature, Film Review | Tagged Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Blockbuster, Captain America: Civil War, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Claudia Kim, Elizabeth Olsen, Film, Gwyneth Paltrow, J-Horror, James Spader, Josh Brolin, Joss Whedon, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel, Movies, Natalie Portman, Paul Bettany, Robert Downey Jr, Superhero Movie, The Avengers, The Avengers: Age of Ultron | 1 Comment

May the Fourth Film Confessional: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Sam S-P

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 | 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 | 1 Comment

The Grey and the Greyer: Heroes and Villains on Netflix’s Daredevil

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Sam S-P

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 | 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 | Leave a comment

Film Confessional #7: Field of Dreams

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Sam S-P

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 | Tagged Amy Madigan, Burt Lancaster, Drama, Fantasy, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner, Phil Alden Robinson, Ray Liotta, Sports Film, Timothy Busfield | Leave a comment

Running (and Dancing) with Scissors

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Sam S-P

The following contains spoilers for the film and stage versions of EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. A couple of Saturdays ago I indulged in a night of culture when I finally got to see Matthew Bourne’s impeccable dance adaptation of Edward Scissorhands. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Film, Film Feature | Tagged Adaptation, Caroline Thompson, Dance, Danny Elfman, Edward Scissorhands, Film, Frankenstein, Johnny Depp, Matthew Bourne, Movies, Pinocchio, Terry Davies, Tim Burton, Vincent Price | Leave a comment

Looking Back and Looking Forward: 2014

Posted on December 31, 2014 by Sam S-P

Well, it’s been an interesting year on the Big Screen. Last year, I said that 2014 would be the cinematic pits. I’ll admit that I wasn’t entirely correct. Some of the films I dreaded did indeed turn out a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Film Feature | Tagged Adam Wingard, Bill Nighy, Birdman, Brendan Gleeson, Calvary, Chris O'Dowd, Dan Stevens, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Disney, Dylan Moran, Film, Foxcatcher, Frank, Gareth Edwards, Gareth Evans, Gladiator, Godzilla, Guardians of the Galaxy, How to Train Your Dragon 2, I Frankenstein, John Michael McDonagh, Kelly Reilly, Life Itself, Marion Cotillard, Marvel, Michael Bond, Michael Fassbender, Movies, Paddington, Paul Verhoeven, Paul W S Anderson, Pompeii, Resident Evil, RoboCop, Roger Ebert, Sony, Steve James, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Guest, The Raid, The Raid 2, Toby Kebbell, Two Days One Night | 3 Comments

Category Archives: Film Feature

Film Confessional: Seventh Son

“Enough about me, let’s talk about me…”: When Actors Play Themselves (Sort-of)

40 Years On: Jaws (1975)

10 Years, 10 Spectacular Sci-fi Films (2005-2014)

A Few Thoughts More: Avengers: Age of Ultron

May the Fourth Film Confessional: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

The Grey and the Greyer: Heroes and Villains on Netflix’s Daredevil

Film Confessional #7: Field of Dreams

Running (and Dancing) with Scissors

Looking Back and Looking Forward: 2014

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