I was offered a regular role in a well-known TV soap back in 2004/5 and turned it down… I do wonder what *that Matt* is up to. Tori and Matt Butler-Hart, the wife-and-husband team behind Fizz & Ginger Films, seem to excel in exploring other, and indeed other-worldly, realms. First it was the spooky siren… INTERVIEW: Matt & Tori Butler-Hart on their parallel universe lockdown movie Read More
Reasons to be chervil: Wild Mountain Thyme gets a UK release date
I think so, anyway — you may prefer to drown your sorrels, judging by its US reception. Yes, the film that had the US abuzz with astonishment is finally coming here: Wild Mountain Thyme will be available for digital rental on 30 April (there’s a Republic of Ireland cinema release in the summer too though… Reasons to be chervil: Wild Mountain Thyme gets a UK release date Read More
Women Film Critics Circle Awards announced
The Women Film Critics Circle announced its 2020 Awards on 8 March 2021, International Women’s Day. The awards are given for the best movies over the past year by and about women – and outstanding achievements by women. And yes I am a member, part of the association of 80 women film critics and scholars… Women Film Critics Circle Awards announced Read More
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 out of a 1997 interview with hilarious chat show host… Holy BeeGees-us! My journey from eh? to bee 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 Relic takes place in an outwardly serene and beautiful family home in Australia, a home that inside… 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 for our movie pleasure since the 1910s. April… Director April Wright: “They always say, once a stuntwoman, always a stuntwoman and it’s absolutely true.” 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 their punchline. That’s one hell of a “new… 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 night… Since the first film,… “All this, because of a puppy?” Me to me, after writing 4,000 words on the John Wick trilogy… 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 apologist, and I make no apologies for… 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 whole time and probably missed some key plot points. And you know how much… 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 imagine if a really hot guy worked in your office. Tall, strong,… 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, Joanne Lamstein has been set on fire, fallen backwards through windows, been attacked by guard dogs,… Fire, Fear, & Favourite Stunts – Interview With Stuntwoman Jo Lamstein Read More