SNAPSHOT“Four years after South Korea’s total decimation in Train to Busan, the zombie thriller that captivated audiences worldwide, acclaimed director Yeon Sang-ho brings us Peninsula, the next nail-biting chapter in his post-apocalyptic world. Jung-seok, a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation Continue Reading
Movies
The short and the short of it: Speedy the Turtle becomes a town’s newest hero
SNAPSHOTWakiki island is in peril by the destructive powers of the evil tiki god Tori, only one turtle is brave enough to stop him: Speedy the Turtle! (synopsis courtesy YouTube) What is it with Big Bads and their love of world-enslaving bling? They crave the stuff and it’s always up Continue Reading
One Zoom to Rule Them All | Reunited Apart “Lord of the Rings” edition
This is going to be one of those occasions where you feel old, really old. It’s now almost 20 years since the first film in the fabled Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, was released to an eager public eager to Continue Reading
Movie review: The Lovebirds
When most couples get into trouble, one of the first things they consider is possibly getting some professional help. It makes sense – bringing in someone with counselling expertise who has no subjective stake in the health of the relationship and the back and forth of who said and did Continue Reading
“I wish I knew how to quit you”: Iconic movie lines get animated in the funniest of ways
At the heart of every great movie sits a sparkling, literate, narratively-rich screenplay. It’s not the only thing that at play, of course, but a movie without inspired writing might look flashy and beautifully-produced but will always feel more than a little hollow and insubstantial. Proof of how important superbly-rendered Continue Reading
Weekday pop art: If good movies were old books
In the usual scheme of things, movies and books don’t seem to have a whole lot in common. Different storytelling mediums – which for the more passionate among us usually ends up as “versus” situation rather than an “or” one – differing levels of expository or interior detail and complete Continue Reading
At home COVID-19 French Film Festival: Fool Circle (Tristesse Club)
It’s interesting watching a film that is clearly meant to be one thing but despite the best efforts, you would presume, of everyone involved, ends up being quite another thing entirely. Case in point is the Vincent Mariette written (he co-wrote with Vincent Poymiro) and directed 2014 film, Tristesse Club Continue Reading
Creativity in a time of COVID-19 lockdown: Sam Neill and Helena Bonham Carter in Das Fone Hell
While there has been a great deal to hate about being stuck in the midst of a seemingly neverending pandemic, one cool thing to emerge is the way it has inspired some amazing creativity from a slew of authors, actors, musicians and others. These are all people who found their Continue Reading
COVID-19 retro movie festival: What If? (The F Word) #MovieReview
It’s the eternal struggle. (Well, one of the many at least; humanity does not make things easy for itself.) At what point does a friend become something more and is that even possible when the object of your unstated but clearly obvious affection is not even in the position to Continue Reading
At Home #COVID19 French Film Festival: 5 delightful shorts incl. Oktapodi, Stuffed, The Pocketman, After the Rain and Sam’s Dream
Animated short films are a delight in so many ways. They demand of their creators an elegant economy of storytelling, a knack for near-instant fully-realised characterisation and a visual style which can set the scene quickly and keep building until a not-far-off finale. These five French animated shorts, accessed via Continue Reading