Quentin Tarantino is now an established director in Hollywood, having had a string of commercial and critical success', the release of his films are treated with a similar sense of anticipation as those of Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese. This, however, was not always the case. In 1992 he released his first feature length film, that he also wrote called Reservoir Dogs. From a … [Read more...]
Review: Senna (2011)
Senna is a documentary film, directed by Asif Kapadia, which focuses on the life and career of Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna. Starting with his early life as a Go Kart champion in Brazil, moving onto his arrival on the F1 circuit, through his heated rivalry with Alain Prost and all the way to his untimely death, the documentary paints the picture of a man obsessed with winning, … [Read more...]
Review: Pulp Fiction (1994)
In 1992 Quentin Tarantino introduced himself to the world with his directorial debut Reservoir Dogs. Notable for its unusual take on a heist film, set as it is before and after but with no footage of the actual event, the film became a huge critical success and took $14m from a budget of $1.4m. This success lead to him receiving funding for his next project, co-written by his … [Read more...]
Review: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Based on the 2005 novel Q&A, Slumdog Millionaire became Danny Boyle's most successful film to date, including helping him win best Film and Best Director Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards. Boyle's 8th directorial feature takes the lessons he learnt from filming The Beach and improves upon them. Replacing huge film sets with handy-cams he was able to get the natural feel … [Read more...]
Review: The Illusionist (2010, France)
The Illusionist is an animated movie released in 2010. It is based on a script by legendary entertainer and director Jacques Tati, in which he drew on his experience as a music hall performer. Tati wrote the script for the film in 1956, but never put it into production. The script was then given to director Sylvain Chomet (Belleville Rendevous) in the early years of the 21st … [Read more...]
Review: Serenity (2005)
Joss Whedon is a man who made his name with his iconic TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. One TV show of his that failed to last long enough to reach the same heights of popularity was Firefly. While critically acclaimed upon release, a series of time-changes and airing episodes out of order meant that it struggled to find a fan-base and was unceremoniously booted … [Read more...]
Review: The King’s Speech (2011)
When it was released at the beginning of 2011, The King's Speech was a somewhat unknown quantity. It seemed to be another British historical piece with a good cast and a healthy dollop of patriotic jingoism that would carry it to moderate success at the box office. Imagine the audiences surprise when they sat down and so a simmering epic character piece, with one of the most … [Read more...]
Review: A Christmas Story (1983)
For a Christmas film to do its job, there are certain boxes that it needs to tick. Firstly, and most obviously, it needs to be set at Christmas. Secondly there needs to be something that the main character is striving for, with obstacles constantly appearing in his way. There should be a nice feeling of nostalgic sentimentality to everything, preferably some snow and children … [Read more...]
Review: It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Frank Capra stands as one the greatest directors of all time. He has won the Academy Award for best direction 3 times for the films It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and You Can't Take it With You (1938). Two of these classic films star one of the biggest movie stars on the 1930s, James Stewart. The actor and director worked together numerous … [Read more...]
Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
In quite frankly the freakiest animated children's Christmas film, Tim Burton and Henry Selick have created the world of Halloweentown. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is unlike any other Christmas film, especially when it contains Burton's bizarre touch of creativity. Coming from a world of death and obscurity is the character Jack Skellington (Danny Elfman's voice) “ … [Read more...]