Snowpiercer [2013] – ★★★★ “Eternal order is prescribed by the sacred engine: all things flow from the sacred engine, all things in their place, all passengers in their section, all water flowing, all heat rising, pays homage to the sacred engine, in its own particular preordained position”. “A blockbuster production with a devilishly unpredictable plot”, says character Wilford in Snowpiercer. That is what this film, directed by Bong Joon-ho (Parasite…
Tag: Action
What Some Films Really Cost to Produce: Accidents When Filming
The intention of this post is not to depress or offend anyone. As most of you will know, yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts announced a new category of award called “Achievement in Popular Film”. My point is that, rather than devising this preposterous category, it would have been better for the Academy to finally recognise the invaluable contribution of stunt performers, who sometimes risk their lives to make a great scene for us all to enjoy. What follows are ten instances where the process of making an action film did not go as planned so as to demonstrate that film-making can be dangerous and, thus, the bravery, artistry and contribution of stunt performers (crew/coordinators) should be recognised.
“The Lost City of Z” Review
The Lost City of Z [2016] – ★★★ “There is very little doubt that the forests cover traces of a lost civilisation of a most unsuspected and surprising character” (from a letter of Fawcett to the Royal Geographical Society, December 1921, Grann (2009) at 55). 🌴 Based on a great book by David Grann titled…
The Time Travel Blogathon: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Silver Screenings and Wide Screen World are co-hosting the Time Travel Blogathon, and my contribution is the review of Edge of Tomorrow, a fantastic science-fiction film directed by Doug Liman, and starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson. Relying on the now fabled “Groundhog Day” concept, Edge of Tomorrow is about a Major (Cruise) who…
The Ultimate 90s Blogathon: Batman Returns (1992)
Kim at Tranquil Dreams and Drew at Drew’s Movie Reviews are hosting this great blogathon “The Ultimate 90s”, and I have decided to write an entry on Tim Burton’s Batman Returns (1992). It will be fair to say that I was practically brought-up on this film and, in many ways, this film reflects my understanding and experience…
“Déjà-vu” Review
Déjà-vu [2006] – ★★★★ “What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they’d never believe you?” (Doug Carlin) In 2006, Tony Scott directed a time-travel thriller Déjà-vu, starring Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer, presenting a story of A.T.F. agent Doug Carlin who starts to investigate the bombing…
“Kalifornia” Review
Kalifornia [1993] – ★★★1/2 Directed by Dominic Sena, Kalifornia centres on two couples and takes place on the road. On the one hand, we have an intelligent pair of up-and-coming journalists: Brian Kessler and Carrie Laughlin, played by David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes, who are in the midst of an important Serial Killers book project and who…
“Skyfall” Review
Skyfall [2012] – ★★★★1/2 For those who are unfamiliar with Sam Mendes’s work and its quality, Skyfall may appear like another action flick of some dubious quality, just another James Bond film full of the same old, recycled “tricks”. However, this is the film of Sam Mendes, which means that this first impression would be false. Skyfall…
Spotlight on Film 