Film Features

This piece contains spoilers for a 31 year old film Lately I’ve rewatched True Romance - the 1993 film directed by the late, great Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino - many times and tried to pin down why this is a…

For a long time, the rules and conventions of crime fiction were as set in stone as the Ten Commandments. There were clues to be found, witnesses to interrogate, and you could bet good money that whatever offence has been committed, the…

In the aftermath of the Second World War, a spate of new British comedies emerged from the gates of the famous Ealing Street Studios. These films reflected a sense of post-war optimism, often depicting unlikely allies banding together in a…

This article contains spoilers for Spider-Man (2002) Long before the box-office behemoth Marvel Cinematic Universe films came on the scene, there was a little film that swung its way into cinemas and took the world by storm. In April…

In the early days of Hollywood, silence must have seemed as valuable as oil or gold. Filmmakers like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton made their multi-million fortunes performing pantomime for millions of happy customers all around the…

There aren't many animated films that could go on the Mount Rushmore of animation, but I honestly feel that The Lion King from 1994 is one of them, standing proudly above most. It is a breath-taking story of change, growth, grief and…

Film noir has never been easy to define. Less a genre, more an inkblot test, its origins are as scattered and difficult to pinpoint as its cinematic offspring. And even its most established tropes vary in frequency from film to film.…

I have fond memories of the Tarzan books from childhood. They were dusty things, that my father kept in a small cupboard and even though the stories were old and dated in such a way that young me had zero interest in reading them, the…

When the first How to Train your Dragon film was released, audiences didn't really have high hopes or expectations for it. DreamWorks weren't as mighty in the animation game as they once were and, despite a strong voice cast, the trailers…

Disney Pixar's Up turns fifteen years old this year, and, in those fifteen years, it's been an animated joy. It highlights not only the visual beauty of the animated medium, but the powerful storytelling techniques that allow us to feel…