Just as they decide to separate, Linda and Paxton find life has other plans when they are stuck at home in a mandatory lockdown. It may have more holes than my bubbling sourdough starter, but I enjoyed Locked Down a lot more than I enjoyed lockdown, the claustrophobia-induced frenzy of Doug Liman's film all too recognisable. There's nothing disruptive about it ... Locked Down Read More
Film Reviews
Greenland 4 stars
As a comet heads to Earth, a family tries to make their way to safety in Greenland. Despite the early Greenland trailers heralding something out of the '90s (and ... Greenland Read More
TV reviews
TV review: The Crown, season 4, plus episode recaps
Read my series review below, or full episode recaps here: episode 1 (Gold Stick), episode 2 (The Balmoral Test), episode 3 (Fairytale), episode 4 ... TV review: The Crown, season 4, plus episode recaps Read More
Highlights
Holy BeeGees-us! My journey from eh? to bee
It happened so quickly. One day I was watching Frank Marshall's new Bee Gees documentary for the first time, coming to it with a rough memory of their disco years coupled with a vague understanding of a half-life before and after, culminating in them walking ... Holy BeeGees-us! My journey from eh? to bee Read More
2020: That Was The Year That Wasn’t…
...but also so long they named it twice. One pandemic. Two national lockdowns. Three release dates for No Time To Die. It's quite fitting that my first and last reviews of 2020 were about family: Little Women, a story about holding on to yourself and ... 2020: That Was The Year That Wasn’t… Read More
The Queen’s Speech
And you thought Gerry and Keanu were my only subjects My 2020 review is now up, and obviously I've kept to the lighter side, because that's what we often need during dark days (though if you are, like me, someone who finds weird comfort watching the most ... The Queen’s Speech Read More
Greenland interviews: “It wasn’t your typical hero who’s going up there to punch a comet in the face”
Wait, what? Is this a Gerard Butler film or isn't it? Disasteroid flick Greenland – out in the US on 18 December online, and in the UK early in 2021 – is not, it turns out, your typical disaster film. Read my 4-star review and article here Director ... Greenland interviews: “It wasn’t your typical hero who’s going up there to punch a comet in the face” Read More
INTERVIEW: writer-director Natalie Erika James on her inter-generational horror story Relic
"The idea that these memories could be within this never-ending sinister space, a labyrinth-like space, that was really the first image and the starting point." Relic director and co-writer Natalie Erika James Natalie Erika James's bold and shocking horror ... INTERVIEW: writer-director Natalie Erika James on her inter-generational horror story Relic Read More
Director April Wright: “They always say, once a stuntwoman, always a stuntwoman and it’s absolutely true.”
"To know [women did these stunts] 100 and something years ago erases the question of 'can they do it now?' Well of course they can do it now. Look at what they did back then." April Wright Women have been jumping from moving motorbikes onto moving trains ... Director April Wright: “They always say, once a stuntwoman, always a stuntwoman and it’s absolutely true.” Read More
INTERVIEW: Tyler Cornack on his movie Butt Boy, the colonic tonic we’ve been waiting for
Tyler Cornack's thriller-comedy-horror Butt Boy – the film that launched a thousand puns – is deadpan funny with a crazy premise, as detective Russel Fox (Tyler Rice) tries to bring to justice a man he suspects is kidnapping children by absorbing them up his ... INTERVIEW: Tyler Cornack on his movie Butt Boy, the colonic tonic we’ve been waiting for Read More
Let’s go (back) to the movies: flashbacks to film memories
Thinking about what to call these lockdown reminiscences – about films and cinemas – I was reduced to googling the full lyrics to Memory as a joke. It turns out they're worryingly apt, so we may yet find that Cats becomes the voice of cinephiles rather than ... Let’s go (back) to the movies: flashbacks to film memories Read More
“All this, because of a puppy?” Me to me, after writing 4,000 words on the John Wick trilogy…
"You dip so much as a pinky back into this pond, you may well find something reaches out and drags you back into its depths", says Winston to John in the first John Wick film, but he ignored the warning and so will we. It's going to be a bumpy, rain-soaked ... “All this, because of a puppy?” Me to me, after writing 4,000 words on the John Wick trilogy… Read More
Director Mark Jenkin on Bait, his black and white Cornish classic-in-the-making
"There are shots in the film that I know were taken from rolls of film that I must have been processing when I was wearing a woolly jumper, because I can see the little bits of fibres." Mark Jenkin on his film-making process. Bait, Jenkin’s beautiful and ... Director Mark Jenkin on Bait, his black and white Cornish classic-in-the-making Read More
Gerard Butler’s ‘Fallen’ Oeuvre
Less a deep dive, and more – considering the less than philosophical subtexts to the three Has Fallen movies – a shallow bellyflop, it's time to look back at Butler's battles as Mike Banning. You can see on this site I refer to myself as a Gerard Butler ... Gerard Butler’s ‘Fallen’ Oeuvre Read More
Kean-Who? The Doctor Will See You Now
Cleverer than all of us put together. Immortal. Millions of fans around the world. Immortal. Time travel in a phone box. Immortal. Loves dogs. Immortal. I grew up on Doctor Who. Though I can't claim superfan status as I was behind the sofa the ... Kean-Who? The Doctor Will See You Now Read More
If Gerard Butler Worked In My Office
Let's face it, office life can be a bit dull. Times have changed and with a new more rigorous business culture you can't even get pissed at lunchtime and photocopy your boobs anymore without some wet blanket reporting you for ink wastage. So just ... If Gerard Butler Worked In My Office Read More
Fire, Fear, & Favourite Stunts – Interview With Stuntwoman Jo Lamstein
"There’s a strange bond when you've done some crazy stuff together that ordinarily might get another maimed, and you’ve gotten each other out of it unscathed... you sort of just 'get each other'. That is everywhere." As a stunt performer for film and TV, ... Fire, Fear, & Favourite Stunts – Interview With Stuntwoman Jo Lamstein Read More