There’s no such thing as a sure thing in Hollywood, but you can certainly stack some of the odds in your favour. Having Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling as your stars certainly won’t hurt, with a script that is action-packed, peppered with old fashioned romance.

There’s been a worrying resurgence in cinema of late of filmmakers – mostly male - producing women in peril features. If it’s not suspended in the air as in Fall, then it’s struggling in water as Blake Lively was in 2016’s The Shallows...

One of the first moving narratives we’re introduced to as children are cartoons. The characters, often animals of some kind, are so bold and colourful, set against a striking soundtrack in a world that fuels our imaginations.

Dev Patel feels like he’s been on the scene way longer than his 34 years suggest. This is mostly due to his role in the iconic British TV drama Skins, where he starred as Anwar in the first two series from 2007-2008.

You would think that being a director of successful films would have to be one of the top jobs to have, and yet a number of big names have announced intentions to walk away.

If you’re after a compelling premise for a film, you can’t do much better than ghosts rampaging through a city that need to be caught. After all, who are you going to call?

Although we probably don’t live in a golden age of actors, after all it’s difficult to compare the likes of Chris Pratt, Dwayne Johnson and Adam Sandler to the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, there is supreme talent out there.

Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune was a dull, bland snore-fest. It may have well satisfied those who were fans of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, who let’s face it, must have made up all of 5% of its box office taking...

Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley died in Florida in 1981 – he was only 36.

Sometimes you just can’t beat brotherly love. It’s certainly held the Coen’s in good stead for the 18 films to date that they’ve made together since 1984’s Blood Simple.

We have a lot to be grateful to technology and the many advances it has brought us – for instance, how did we ever manage before doorbells with cameras? – but the ability to troll isn’t one of them.

Zac Efron isn’t just a pretty face. Although the 36-year-old actor clearly used his matinee idol looks to great effect staring out in his career with the Disney show High School Musical...

This instalment of the DCEU sees a number of endings; the first is with the DC Extended Universe itself, which began in 2013 with Man of Steel, and bookended with this, the sixteenth and final entry.

With Disney celebrating an impressive 100 year anniversary, it was imperative that the title they released in the same year had to reflect not only the studio’s ethos, but also its legacy.

As far as the origin story is concerned, it’s worked for the likes of Marvel and DC, with virtually every entry featuring the back story of one hero/ villain or another.

There’s a study in science known as the probability theory, that determines how likely an outcome is of a random event, such as how many times you’re likely to roll a six within 12 throws of a die, say.

Much like many of their heroes facing a menacing enemy, Marvel is in trouble. Many of their new releases are ominously under-performing, that seems to signal a significant disinterest from global audiences in their current cinematic universe.

With his debut effort in 2016, director William Oldroyd brought us Florence Pugh in his impressive Lady Macbeth.

Bill Murray. Chevy Chase. Eddie Murphy. Bill Hader. Kristen Wiig. Adam Sandler. Mike Myers. Tina Fey. Will Ferrell. Just a few of the names that share one thing in common: they’ve all come through the institution known as...

British director Carol Reed achieved a certain amount of respect for helming a number of films, including Trapeze, Oliver!, and of course The Third Man starring Orson Welles.

The backpacker’s dream, to take off for far flung destinations and have yourself some Insta memories that will stay with you a lifetime.

This will not be news to anyone who is a discerning cineaste: the best Indiana Jones film is, without question, the original.

There are a number of pressing concerns in the world that we should all be anxious about. 5/ Donald Trump 4/Russia 3/Climate change 2/ Still Donald Trump 1/ AI

Despite carving out a credible career path in comedy, creating highly entertaining shows such as Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones, Danny McBride and David Gordon Green have also shown a love for horror, rebooting as they have the Halloween franchise.

There’s no way that artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird could possibly have known of the cultural impact the characters they created for their comic in 1984 would have long term.

There’s a British actor, with over 170 acting credits to his name, two Oscars, three Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and a Madness song name after him – his name is Michael Caine.

There was a time, not so long ago, where making a superhero film was a license to print money...

There must be something about twiddling that infamous moustache that appeals to Kenneth Branagh to see him return to the role of Hercule Poirot for a third time.

If there’s one job in the world we wouldn’t really fancy being tasked with, it’s making the impossible possible. Just imagine the amount of faff that would come with that; all that paperwork, all those calls and emails, not to mention those endless meetings.

There was probably a time when playing video games at home for lengthy/unhealthy periods of time would lead to a parent saying something along the lines of “you’ve been playing that thing for too long”, “it’s not good for you”, “you have no real friends”,...

When details of a film based on the Barbie toy were first announced, it wasn’t exactly greeted with a great deal of optimism, after all, films based on toys haven’t done well historically.

Over the years Australia has produced an abundance of talent, the problem has been keeping it, with the lure of Hollywood too strong for many of them.

With the release of this, the seventh entry in the Transformers series, the Autobots saga rumbles on. And yet there is a case for this franchise to be one of the most disjointed; each one tends to be self contained...

For some time now, US director Wes Anderson has been a darling of independent cinema. His films are low budget, and for the most part, consistently make a profit, with the only anomaly being 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, that by Anderson’s standards made an impressive $173 million at the box office...

When actor Zach Braff made the jump from the small screen in his hugely successful comedy show Scrubs, to the big screen with his directorial debut, 2004’s Garden State, it looked very much like the perfect transition.

The laws that exist regarding comic book films clearly state that for every superhero that exists, they must have a villain.

Audiences’ appetite for certain films changes fairly often. Or at least that’s what studio execs would have us believe. The truth is, they really dictate what we see and when.

It seems these days that if you’re after an on screen hero, they only come in tight, Lycra costumes with some kind of silly name attached like Ant-Man or Wonder Woman.

You know when a film franchise has been seriously around the block when they use roman numerals to determine what number instalment they’re at.

It’s only natural that directors reach a point in their careers where they slow down – whether it’s their decision or outside sources.

If you’re of a certain age, by which of course we mean long in the tooth, by which we mean really quite old, and know a smidgeon about British cinema, when you hear the name Ealing Studios you’re likely to think of classic comedies.

As a debut writer and director, the fear is always that no one will see the project that you’ve slaved over bringing to life.

The twelve-sided die: to the uninitiated, it’s merely a small object with numbers on it, that serves no real purpose, but to those with courage in their hearts, it is a gateway to untold adventure in realms of swords and sorcery.

French cinema has always been on the serious side, but in recent years it seems to have gotten particularly dour. There are just too many family dramas, where there’s a lot of shouting, before there’s some kind of resolution, however disappointing it may be.

Celebrity endorsements of products can mean big business – just ask Nike and their Air Jordans. One of the most well known outside of footwear, has to be a certain grill, as promoted by none other than George Foreman.

Priests are very keen on spreading the word of their god. So much so that throughout history they have sent missionaries to all corners of the globe, in what is essentially a glorified recruitment drive. Because as everyone knows, God loves a follower.

It all started with a short that director Sam Raimi made in 1978 called Within the Woods; it was shot with a tiny budget, with the director calling in favours from his friends to appear in it, such as Bruce Campbell, hoping to attract investors into backing a full feature.

When the original Scream was released in 1996, it proved that maybe there was room for one more in cinema’s fairly elite killer club, with alumni including Leatherface, Freddy Kruger and Michael Myers.

In 2009, director James Cameron released his space epic Avatar, which did pretty well for him, for when you make adjustments for inflation, it became the second highest-grossing film of all time.

Question: have you ever eaten a raspberry? It may not be the most hard hitting of questions to ask, but when you’re a one inch tall shell, it’s important to know.

The reason we watch films is to experience emotions. For instance, you can get an adrenaline kick from an action flick, or feel a deep sense of dread from a horror film.

Audiences are often greeted with a message before a film starts, stating that what they are about to see is based on real events, and this is one such film.

Filmmaking is about one thing, and one thing only – storytelling. And one of the greatest storytellers in modern film history is Steven Spielberg.

And so the MCU trundles on, with what has been categorized as the first entry of Phase Five. And leading this particular charge is one of their most diminutive heroes, with what is the third Ant-Man film in its own right.

So stepping into the ring is the ninth entry in the Rocky franchise, which features its star Michael B. Jordan also making his directorial debut.

As far as the 20th century was concerned, there was one director who stood out as someone whose lifelong ambition was to give his audiences thrills and chills, so much so that the title of master of suspense was bestowed upon him – Alfred Hitchcock.

There has always been a macabre fascination with serial killers, especially by filmmakers, who have been compelled to retell their stories on the big screen in all their gory details.

There is ever growing opinion that the advances in A.I. – Artificial Intelligence – signal the dawn of the end of mankind. Just remember that the next time you ask your fridge to order more eggs.

You must be doing something right when three films you direct in a row all win Oscars. That’s exactly what happened to Damien Chazelle with the release of Whiplash (2013), La La Land (2016) and First Man (2018).

Just like many of its grotesque leads, the horror genre never dies. Right now, for example, it currently appears to be enjoying yet another renaissance with the return of an old franchise in Scream, and a new one with Ti West’s 'X' for example.

Without Kurosawa, it’s unlikely we would have ever seen The Magnificent Seven or even Star Wars, such is the influence of the great Japanese director.

One genre that simply won’t die is the western. Despite having its hay day between 1940 to 1960, known as the “Golden Age of the western”, that was spearheaded by such legendary directors as John Ford, Sam Pekinpah and John Sturges, as well as made a screen icon out of John Wayne, the western continues to appear on the cinematic horizon from time to time.

In any capitalist society the ultimate goal is to make as much money as you can. This creates a number of very wealthy individuals, who some may argue, have more money than sense. And yes, that does include Elon Musk.

It’s almost universally understood that the world would be a better place if women ruled it. Those few who disagree are mostly those men in power doing a really terrible job.

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

No one draws a crowd quite like Dwayne Johnson, which is why the former pro wrestler is one of the highest grossing and highest paid actors today.

As we all know, science can be used for evil as well as good. Sadly it can also be used for the most redundant research, as this study regarding the perfect smile reveals.

Whenever there’s a major sporting event, as we’ve just had with the World Cup, we’re inundated with adverts that attempt to entice us into the world of gambling, followed by the sombre voice of Ray Winstone to tell us to gamble responsibly. As if there was anything responsible about gambling.

Pets have a very special place in our hearts, especially when you consider how we happily invite them into our home to stay, being far more welcoming than possibly to another family member.

Too all intent and purposes US filmmaker David O. Russell is a bit of a dick. There have been a number of reports of abusive behaviour on set, where he’s just let rip at his actors, that have included George Clooney, Amy Adams and Lily Tomlin of all people.

In recent years there appears to have been a push in certain quarters to make food more attractive, not just on the plate but also the palette. Some chefs see their food as art, which might explain some of the seemingly small portions they get away with serving, at exorbitant prices.

There are certain locales that you immediately associate with British royalty, such as Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle and the Pizza Express in Woking.

Sibling rivalry must be a bitch. Well, we’re guessing it’s more so when the siblings work in the same industry. Take the McDonagh’s: John Michael and his younger brother Martin. Both are writers and directors of film, but only one of them has been nominated for Oscars (three), and won one.

Here’s a little known fact for you, Swiss teacher Rodolphe Töpffler is credited with creating the world’s first comic strip published in 1837. And the term the ‘funnies’, referring to illustrations of amusing drawings found in newspapers was probably born from a US weekly comic book called The Funnies that was first published in 1929.

It’s safe to say that Jordan Peele has already reached that point in his relatively short career as a director, with all his projects coming under extreme scrutiny from frenzied fans.

With fascinating documentaries such as Free Solo and The Alpinist highlighting the incredibly dangerous endeavour of free climbing, it’s surprising that Hollywood hasn’t seen fit to jump all over it, in a dramatic sense. And no, Sly’s 1993 Cliffhanger doesn’t count.

Just as superheroes are now entitled to an origin story – or if you’re Spider-Man, several – it’s only fair that the same courtesy should be shown to their villainous counterparts. One of the best in recent years was undoubtedly Todd Phillips’ Joker.

As far as the myriad of Marvel characters are concerned, Thor has been on some journey. Obviously all of them have been on journeys, otherwise there wouldn’t be films about them, but certainly the God of Thunder’s has been transformative, to say the least.

Two of the biggest reasons for war, sadly, are religion and land. One of the most prominent examples concerning both is between the Palestinians and the Israelis, with one of the oldest cities in the world at the heart of the conflict – Jerusalem.

As if growing up as a teen wasn’t difficult enough, what with trying to not get bullied and break out in spots every five minutes, films decided to put them in further jeopardy by having them confront evil. Talk about unlucky.

It must be lonely saving the world. Imagine it, you’ve just put an end to your evil nemesis – again – and return to your secret abode only to be greeted by a pot noodle and the latest superhero show on Disney+.

Here’s something that will make you feel old; we’ve now reached a point in history where there are generations that exist who don’t know who the likes of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and The Beatles are.

One of the most prominent genres the British film industry has consistently produced over the years is the gangster flick, with its portrayal of dodgy geezers and even dodgier behaviour.

Just when you thought you knew a person. You might think that’s in reference to the two-time Oscar winning Dame, Emma Thompson, who reveals all in her latest role. But no.

Considered to be the first example of a pornographic film is A L'Ecu d'Or ou la bonne auberge (‘At the Golden Shield’ or ‘The Good Inn’), released in France in 1908. No doubt it caused quite a kerfuffle at the time, as it probably could only be viewed with an audience and not on your smartphone, which must have been all kinds of awkward for all concerned.

There are few things worse in life than having your favourite show end. Sure wars aren’t fun, and suffering from an illness you’d rather not have is a bummer, but the pain you feel when the credits roll one last time is just pure agony.

2004 saw the show Entourage hit our screens. It was about a young man who was getting his big break in Hollywood, and his journey as an actor, surrounded by his friends who became his personal entourage.

Eddie Redmayne is one of the best of British actors currently on the scene, which is why it’s only a matter of time before he gets gobbled up into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some capacity, like it has with all the rest.

With the release of Romancing the Stone in 1984, directed by Robert Zemeckis (who went on the following year to helm a certain Back to the Future), audiences witnessed a wonderful fusion between high energy action and characters – played by Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas – full of sassy dialogue.

Apparently the notion of the concept of a multiverse first appeared in the pages of Marvel in 1971 (The Avengers #85), which is impressive when you consider that some were just getting their heads around the dark magic that was the VCR at the time.

With only two features under his belt – 2015’s The Witch and 2019’s The Lighthouse - US director Robert Eggers is already gaining a reputation for being one of the directors to work with.

With films Mrs Brown, Shakespeare in Love and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin back to back in the late nineties/early noughties, director John Madden was on a pretty successful run.

You know when a film’s soundtrack takes a hold of you when you take it home with you, having it live in your head on repeat.

For many, starting the next level of schooling can be the next bold and brave step in their development. This new stage can also be quite perilous, especially if confronted with the phenomenon known as the school bully.

There’s every chance you would have seen quite a lot of Johnny Depp recently, but sadly for all the wrong reasons.

They say you can’t keep a good superhero down; actually those saying it are probably disgruntled super villains much to their disappointment. Taking on the cowl and cape duties this time around is Brit Robert Pattinson in director Matt Reeves reboot of the franchise.

Despite their respective success as actors, neither Jennifer Lopez nor Owen Wilson have really pushed their careers. Admittedly J-Lo has done well in her other field as a singer, but neither have really shown the need to be in the limelight, playing leading roles film after film.

It’s understandable that when the term big budget blockbusters is used, most associate it with Hollywood; after all, no-one throws money around quite like the US film industry.

Whilst others were getting their hands dirty attempting to make banana bread, or putting a quiz together for a zoom session, Sir Ken of Branagh was doing what he does best during the pandemic, making films.

Hollywood is always keen to resurrect a franchise back from the dead. It benefits from a sense of nostalgia an audience may have, whose curiosity will lead them to the box office, therefore being as close to a sure thing as you can get for the studio.

When it comes to the Olympic Games we all have our favourite disciplines, but as we have seen recently, it doesn’t guarantee their inclusion in the games. Fans of Tug of War for instance are still waiting for its comeback into the games since it was dropped in 1920.

There must be something pretty special about Haddonfield, Illinois; despite there being a notorious serial killer on the loose, one with a penchant for pointy cutlery and babysitters, town folk are more than happy to stay there.

So it seems that there is still an insatiable appetite for superhero films, or so Disney would have us believe. Since acquiring Marvel, the house of mouse has been super keen to push its characters onto big screens and small, with slightly minor characters getting their own shows to shine, with the likes of Loki, Hawkeye, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision.

Probably the biggest acting export from bonnie Scotland after Sean Connery is Gerard Butler. Since Zack Snyder’s 300 put him on the map, Butler has become a welcome action hero in Hollywood.

For a film that centres around marital abuse, Kevin McCloud – yes he of Grand Designs fame – seems a peculiar source of inspiration, but that’s exactly what he is here, as this film follows a mother who wants more for herself and her two young daughters, and is prepared to get her hands dirty to achieve it.

Ever since the release of 2004’s Saw, the name James Wan has been associated with horror. The Malaysian-born Australian director, producer and screenwriter has been busy with a number of franchises, including Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring, all with the intent of giving audiences the heebie jeebies.

To say that machines will eventually take over the world sounds almost like a statement that doesn’t fully understand the concept; after all, machines in general and technology specifically have already taken over the world.

In 1989 Australian director Peter Weir released Dead Poets Society, a smart and heart-warming film that saw Robin Williams star as a teacher who used poetry to get the most out of his young minds.

One of the most challenging roles for any actor must be playing a real life person. The actor must consider the balance of putting their own stamp on the performance, as well as staying true to the person they’re bringing to life on screen.

There is a clear hierarchy when it comes to horror characters that terrorise us from the big screen, with the likes of Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers lurking menacingly at the top, if only through perseverance and longevity, if nothing else.

If you ask someone to name all the Marvel superheroes, you’re going to get a fairly standard list – to start with at least – with a number of familiar names on it, like your Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America etc.

There are only two things that can’t be avoided in life: trolls on Twitter and old age; try as you might both are bound to get you in the end.

There are only two things that can’t be avoided in life: trolls on Twitter and old age; try as you might both are bound to get you in the end.

It’s incredible to think how ahead of its time 1982’s Tron was considering how the home video gaming industry was still in its infancy.

With the likes of Disney and Pixar producing such high quality films, the world of animation is hugely competitive. That hasn’t stopped DreamWorks however, who since their debut Antz in 1998, have been producing animated features, albeit with mixed results.

The horror genre has been fairly formulaic over the years, with the intention of hopefully scaring the bejesus out of an audience.

It’s difficult to comprehend just how much history there is; just when you think you’ve got a handle on all that stuff that happened years ago, some piece of the past pops up that you never knew about.

You need patience to be an Avenger; it is a collective rich with characters, with more than one or two egos at play. But if you bide your time as a team player, helping to save the world along the way, then chances are you will be rewarded, as Natasha Romanoff has been here.

Difficult news is always hard to convey, but the truth is, Milla Jovovich is no longer with us. It’s by no means a recent thing either; it happened when she met British film director Paul W.S. Anderson, whom she married in 2009.

It’s all too easy to make assumptions about a film from the barest information. Take this film for example, a British drama, starring national treasure royalty Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman, with its patriarchal title sounding like a feature rich in family tension, that could possibly lean on the theatrical side somewhat, and come across as a tad pompous and dreary.

Stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard is a bit of a dabbler. The comic, who has been outspoken regarding gender fluidity, and who currently prefers the pronoun ‘she’, is a keen activist with a sharp eye on the world of politics, having run twice to be a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee.

Robots. It’s already been established that they will eventually take over the world; currently they’re sussing out the human race, having already calculated that they can wipe us out over night, just before they serve us our last dark roasted latte and turn all our lights out – literally.

There have been a number of attempts over the years by US producers to re-make hit British comedies for the American market, with mixed results.

We’ve almost reached a point in the casting of major Hollywood films and TV shows, that British involvement is almost guaranteed. Not so much a pool of talent, more an ocean.

It’s difficult to imagine the audience's reaction to seeing King Kong for the very first time on the big screen, in RKO’s 1933 classic, particularly the iconic Empire State Building scene, but it must have been a true sense of wonder.

For a film with such an indie/European sensibility, it’s quite impressive that the sound of metal that could actually be heard is that of multiple Oscars clanking together, as it has received six nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for its star Riz Ahmed.

If there’s one area of film production that can still work through a global pandemic safely its animation. With all the animation now produced with computers, there have no doubt been a swarm of animators, working from home, helping to produce the 59th feature from the Walt Disney Animation Studios.

There’s no doubt that having a hit film brings with it a measure of success, but if you want a lucrative cash cow, then you ideally want a franchise. One genre that possibly knows this better than most is horror.

With a career that spans from the early eighties to present day, Kevin Costner could be considered one of a dying breed – the archetypal Hollywood leading man.

Generally speaking, robbing a bank is a bad idea. Certainly the odds are against you pulling it off, with three out of four robbers eventually getting caught. One group of society who, more often than not, are less likely to get sucked into that 25% chance of getting away with it are women.

A sled, a police box, a phone booth, a hot tub, and of course a customised DeLorean DMC-12, may well sound like the rider for a Kanye West gig, but they also happen to be iconic, on screen time machines.

It’s been just over four years now since the world lost one of the most creative musical artists of his generation – David Bowie. Never one to tread water creatively, Bowie constantly reinvented himself and his music, making it impossible to second guess what he would do next.

If ever there were an envelope being pushed in the world of animation, it would have Pixar’s colourful hands all over it. In fact it wouldn’t be long before they folded said envelope into a paper plane and set it on a new adventure.

Britain. Home to the fish and the chips, the biggest of Bens, the henge of stones, and redundant red phone boxes. It’s also currently the home to a veritable hotbed of acting talent, much to the chagrin of our thespian American chums.

From Wembley to the desert moon of Jedha is some journey, but it’s one that British actor Riz Ahmed has made. The London-born actor has managed to impress since appearing in the excellent black comedy Four Lions in 2010, going from strength to strength, including the superb TV miniseries The Night Of, as well as a stint in a galaxy far, far away in 2016’s Rogue One.

Whenever films deal with the premise of mind control, nothing good ever comes of it. Everything from The Manchurian Candidate, Scanners, to the recent Get Out, all involve getting inside the mind of others for nothing short of really despicable behaviour.

Some dream jobs are more desirable than others. Take acting for instance, where hard work and talent could possibly put you on the Hollywood A list, leading to all manner of opportunities. And then you have more recent phenomena such as becoming a social media ‘personality’, or social influencer, for those who want to take a shortcut avoiding hard work and just get paid for talking waffle and or being mildly attractive in front of camera.

If there’s anyone who could go back in time and do things differently in 2020, it’s probably Christopher Nolan. His film Tenet is one he’s been toying with for over twenty years, with the script alone taking him five years to write.

In terms of learning your trade as an actor, you can do a lot worse than start in a soap opera. In fact it’s almost a rite of passage for new acting talent in Australia, with many of their biggest stars including Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Chris Hemsworth and Margot Robbie all getting soapy at the early stages of their careers.

Acting can be a funny old business; one minute you’ve got the camera trained on you at the Oscars as a nominee in the Best Actress category for your starring role in Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, the next you’re filming a low-budget drama in a rundown part of Wales. So is the life of acclaimed British actress Sally Hawkins.

In 1987, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven hit the target with audiences with his sci-fi action flick RoboCop. On the back of its success, he wanted to go big with his next project, and he didn’t disappoint.

There appears to be a growing popularity in participating in dangerous activities, such as being dunked into a sea in a cage surrounded by hungry sharks, or jumping off a bridge on a bit of elastic, or voting for a president who used to be a TV star. You know, dangerous stuff like that.

There are a few telltale signs that you’re in the realms of a European art house film. One of the biggest give aways is if it’s shot in black and white. Another indication is its duration, with anything over two and a half hours venturing into bum numbing territory a regular sign.

It’s this time of the year where usually things start hotting up at the box office, when Hollywood releases its big hitters. This year however, due to current Covid conditions, is very different.

Imagine if a year ago Disney announced that instead of releasing its $200 million live action version of Mulan in cinemas, it was going to pop it on its own streaming service, you might well think that the house of mouse had a few tiles loose. How times change.

Compared to the myriad of channels and streaming sites today, children of the seventies had relatively few choices when it came to TV, which certainly wasn’t aided by the fact that there were only three TV channels to choose from.

It’s an unofficial law that everyone in the UK has to discuss the weather at least three times a day. And yes, looking out of the window and stating how dreary it all looks counts.

To say that the story of Don Quixote has been a passion project for Terry Gilliam is an extreme understatement. For nearly the last thirty years Gilliam has attempted to bring this story to the screen on a number of occasions, with various cast changes, only to be thwarted one way or another to get it over the finishing line.

As religious fads go, marriage has done pretty well to be accepted into the mainstream. This is peculiar considering the current odds, with up to 50% of marriages in the US, ending in divorce.

The name Judd Apatow may well be one of the most well known names in Hollywood – that hasn’t been associated with heinous acts against females thankfully – but its more for his producing credits than directing.

Considering his impact on cinema, it’s surprising that Stanley Kubrick only managed to direct 13 features in his career. What could also be considered a surprise is that for his fourth film, he got to direct this big-budget studio epic.

Romanian film director Corneliu Porumboiu has two obvious loves in his life: football and film. His passion for both has even seen him combine the pair not once but twice with his documentaries, 2014’s The Second Game and 2018’s Infinite Football.

When it rains, it pours. Not so long ago, Woody Allen was the darling of the pseudo intellectual film buffs, who could do no wrong. Actions in her personal life however soon changed that, heinously tarring his name in much the same way as others in the entertainment industry such as the convicted Cosby and Weinstein.

It’s easy to think that films based on toys started with the LEGO films (with the first being released in 2014), or even with the first Toy Story entry, released in 1995, but toy producers and filmmakers have been savvy for way longer. There’s the Transformers franchise for instance, that’s been transforming on our screens since 1986’s animated feature (and the TV series two years earlier than that), 1985’s The Care Bear Movie, with even those cute hatchable creatures getting a look in with Tamagotchi: the Movie in 2007.

You have to feel sorry for the majority of child stars. Getting picked out of obscurity at such a young age, only to be thrown into the blinding limelight of fame. For some it can work out pretty well, as Daniel Radcliffe appears to have come out of the other side of Hogwarts in good shape.

Being a Hollywood superstar is the ultimate dream for many, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be – just ask James Dean. This compelling drama sees US actress Jean Seberg under the spotlight, but not from being on set starring in a film, but from being under surveillance by the FBI.

Kangaroos. Vegemite. Kylie Minogue. These are probably the first few things when asked that someone will associate Australia with. You may sadly have the recent horrific fires that the country has suffered from added to that list.

There’s a saying that goes if a good idea’s worth doing, it’s worth ripping it off and doing it again. And that’s exactly what the producers of this feel good flick have done.

When it comes to an author’s work being adapted for the screen, one name reigns supreme – William Shakespeare. He has had over 400 of his stories turned into films, which according to The Guinness Book of World Records, makes Bill a record breaker, which is news that would probably make him really rather chuffed.

It’s amazing what people did before they had the internet 24/7 in their hands. There were buildings young and old could visit, where they could just wander in off the streets, grab a book and start reading.

You don’t full realise the enormous impact of a global pandemic until you’re smack in the middle of one. Not only are many of us struggling with the concept of self isolation (although, if you think of it more as quality alone time, it certainly takes the edge off), but the global economy is taking a huge hit.

Just like the evil spirits that are reluctant to leave this world in the films, this franchise refuses to die. Sam Raimi, who also produced the first US version in 2004, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (remember her?), has clearly had it on life support in his mind’s eye for quite some time, and has decided that now is a good time for its resurrection.

During the eighties, you could pretty much walk down the street and trip over an action star every hundred metres, they were that plentiful. The likes of Norris, Seagal and Van Damme were churning out titles at a cracking pace, most of which were guilty pleasures to watch.

Although it feels far from it right now, living as we are in such turbulent, uncertain times, progress is being made – in cinema at least. Last year South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite made history, by becoming the first non English film to ever win the Academy Award for best Picture. It was also the first ever film not in English to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in Motion Picture.

Just like the evil spirits that are reluctant to leave this world in the films, this franchise refuses to die. Sam Raimi, who also produced the first US version in 2004, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (remember her?), has clearly had it on life support in his mind’s eye for quite some time, and has decided that now is a good time for its resurrection.

A change is in the air regarding the current unacceptable attitude towards sexual harassment in the workplace (which appears to have been to simply ignore its existence), if the current media hype is to be believed, that is.

It’s not unusual as part of a young child’s development, for them to conjure up an imaginary friend. Someone they can connect with, play with, and have the kind of relationship they just can’t have with someone real at that point in their life.

Here’s a quick pop quiz for you: which country is the fifth largest by area, and the sixth most populated? Of course all you eggheads know that the answer is Brazil.

Every now and again, you’ll find yourself watching a film, and there’s an action scene that makes little sense, stretching the bounds of reality, when a character simply refuses to bite the bullet.

With two really big turns at the start of his career (1998’s American History X and Fight Club at the end of the nineties), it looked like Edward Norton was set to be in high demand, sitting pretty on that enviable A-list.

Gaming is now a more lucrative industry than that of cinema. Fact. For the first time, the video gaming industry is making more money than Hollywood studios.

It’s difficult to imagine that in a decade or so, there will be a film made of the current Grand Prix motor-racing scene. Although its undeniably dangerous, interventions from various bodies has sanitised the sport, and although there’s a large number of drivers taking part, invariably only one or two win it, for the duration of the entire season.

When a film of yours makes just over a billion at the box office, what follows must be the shortest meeting in history regarding a sequel. And of course, with animation, the process is laboriously long, which is why it’s taken so long for the follow-up to Disney’s successful 2013 Frozen to materialise. The question is, was it worth the wait?

The truth is, lying can get you far in life. Just ask Donald Trump who has made a successful career out of it – the greatest in fact. As has every other politician to be fair.

It’s safe to say that there are two things that German director Roland Emmerich doesn’t do: small or subtle. His wheelhouse has always been the blockbuster; taking up as much of a widescreen as he can with all out action. His latest, although set on real life events, is no different, as Emmerich gets his mitts on one of the defining moments of WWII.

In 1977, author Stephen King wrote his third book The Shining. Much like his first book Carrie, it was swiftly adapted for the big screen, and released in 1980, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, and directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick.

If ever there were an actor of the current generation that it’s difficult to get a handle on, it’s Shia LaBeouf. He’s gone big with the likes of the Transformers franchise, he’s gone indie for Lars von Trier in both volumes of Nymphomaniac, and various stops in-between.

There are certain actors who will always be synonymous with certain roles. Just ask Mark Hamill; he accepted his fate fairly early for forever being known as Luke Skywalker, regardless of the rest of the roles he did.

Considering the original black and white US TV show only ran for two years (64 episodes in total) in the late sixties, the Addams family have certainly enjoyed an enduring legacy.

One of the biggest, and it has to be said important, turnarounds from being considered for so many years a villain, to now being cited as a hero, goes to the humble bee.

The climate in Europe is changing, and it’s not just the weather. The political spectrum is shifting dramatically, making countries more fractured – just look at what Brexit has done to the UK.

When it comes to saving the day, everyone loves a superhero. But the truth is, no one really gives the villain enough credit. After all, without them, what would be left are a bunch of characters posing in tight Lycra, showing off how ‘super’ they all are.

Reunions of any kind are a big mistake; after all there’s a reason you haven’t seen each other for all these years. But curiosity can be a strong draw, as is the idea of meeting up with those you haven’t seen for an age, and hoping that your life is considerably more attractive than theirs.

It didn’t take long into his career as a director for Pedro Almodóvar to become the darling of European cinema, with such hits like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and High Heels.

Scandinavian countries have a reputation for producing quite glum and gloomy dramas, which is often attributed to their isolated locales and chilly climes. As sweeping generalisations go, the countries that make up Scandinavia don’t exactly go out of their way to prove it wrong.

It’s often said that the comedy genre is the hardest to get right, which may well be the case, but horror must be a razor sharp close second. There’s nothing quite like the shared experience of being chilled to the bone. And this film, produced by none other than Guillermo de Toro, raises an interesting issue: when is a good time to see your first horror flick?

Everyone has a guilty pleasure or two that they’re unwilling to admit to. This film however, could be the unholy trinity of guilty pleasures: a Fast & Furious flick starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.

With nearly a hundred roles under his belt, Dennis Quaid has certainly been around the Hollywood block. He made an impact with his early roles in the eighties, with the likes of The Right Stuff, The Big Easy, Great Balls of Fire! and Innerspace. The last ten years haven’t been too kind in terms of meaty memorable roles however, so he’s trying a different tack with this latest role, by playing the baddie.

Considering how gloriously gory history is, it can be a real struggle to teach it to kids in school. Much is this is down to the teacher; not everyone is fortunate to have a Robin Williams in full ‘Oh Captain my Captain’ mode. Most are more likely to have a teacher who is mentally broken, devoid of all hope, whose teaching plan mainly consists of how to get out of teaching and find a job that pays.

If you are one of the biggest brands in the world of film, the universe and everything, you must always be seen to be moving forward, even if you’re actually going backwards, as in this case for Walt Disney.

George Bailey. An everyman with the biggest of hearts. If it’s a name that’s unfamiliar, then you’ve probably yet to visit Bedford Falls, and with this digitally restored and remastered 4K edition, there has never been a better time to visit and get acquainted with George’s magical story.

Wales. Home of dragons, rugby and Gareth Bale. And although set in picturesque Snowdonia, this is a film that the Welsh Tourist Board probably won’t be tooting their Welsh horn about, as it literally shows their nation in an unfavourably gloomy light.

You’ve got to admire ambition; American director Ari Aster gets to release a director’s cut of only his second feature, and that after his rather dreary debut Hereditary.

It was 1995 when a relatively unknown animation studio released their very first full-length feature film, Toy Story. Little did we know that this one film, that saw children’s toys come to life, would become the cornerstone of what would grow to be one of the most successful animation studios in recent memory, Pixar. It’s no wonder then that they were hoovered up by Disney in 2006.

A certain film series has proven that it’s simply adorable when children’s toys come to life. But long before Woody and Buzz lit up our screens, a certain doll was exploring a darker side of play.

So the bad news is, it looks like the musical is back. With the Mamma Mia! films doing the leg work, Bohemian Rhapsody, came in like a fandango possessed, setting new records for a biographical film as it did so, as well as four Oscars for its trouble.

It’s easy to think that television changed forever with the arrival of streaming services such as Netflix and Prime Video, and to a certain extent that’s true, but its revolution began far earlier than that.

It’s difficult to imagine monsters being nothing but universally loved, but some monsters are championed by specific regions of the world. For instance, Japan has embraced the iconic Godzilla since 1954, with over 30 Japanese features under his considerable belt; whilst the US is currently championing the monster du jour Donald Trump.

If you would believe films, and let’s face it most of us do, teens are obsessed with parties. Sure, the ones that were always invited loved a good party. Who wouldn’t, what with all the jiggying, the gentle lingering of frivolity in the air, choons and of course a balanced selection of nibbles. We’re guessing.

Jaws. Mad Max. Deliverance. The Godfather. Don’t Look Now. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Star Wars. The Godfather. Annie Hall. Marathon Man. Dirty Harry. Just a handful of films that go to cement the notion that the seventies was one of the best, if not the best decade for Hollywood films.

With a career spanning over thirty years, making his debut as he did with 1987’s Red Sorghum, Chinese director Zhang Yimou has never been overwhelmed by epic, as many of his films, including Raise the Red Lantern, Hero and House of Flying Daggers, perfectly illustrate.

Considering it was over 23 years ago since the first Pokémon game was released, for the Nintendo Game Boy, with numerous titles subsequently following, getting more popular with every title, it’s curious that Hollywood hasn’t tried to knock out a film tie-in sooner.

You would have had to have wrapped yourself from head to toe in tin foil (which would be troubling on so many fronts) not to be aware of the current stories regarding climate change regularly in the news.

There must be an unwritten law somewhere stating that if you’re going to make a film set on a submarine, it has to be dramatic. Think about it, submarine comedies are very few and far between, and even fewer musicals.

The current landscape of cinema is certainly fluid. We appear to have reached a point in time where there are no comedic A-listers making comedies on a regular basis. Where is this generation's Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, or dare we say it, Adam Sandler?

A story about a short person and their obsession over a bit of jewellery doesn’t necessarily sound that exciting, but English writer J.R.R. Tolkien did all right out of it. So much so that his work has had the big screen treatment, mostly thanks to Peter Jackson, and the online shop that now also makes shows is soon to produce a Lord of the Rings series, that will hopefully keep actors of short stature in regular work for a bit too.

Gear shifts are tricky things. Not in the driving sense you understand, unless you’re American, but where careers are concerned. Once you’ve established yourself as an actor within a specific field, it can be difficult to be accepted – by peers and audiences alike - trying something else. For example, regardless of how good his singing voice is, accepting Jason Statham in the lead of a musical might be a tough ask.

After a number of huge successes in the eighties and nineties, with films such as The Company of Wolves, Mona Lisa, The Crying Game and Michael Collins, Irish director Neil Jordan looked like becoming an established talent in the film world.

We’re now three films deep into director S. Craig Zahler’s CV, and it’s safe to say that he’s forming a familiar M.O. 1/ Write a cracking screenplay that is both stark and brutal, and hold back on the pacing. 2/Cast iconic actors who some may describe, somewhat cruelly, as past their sell-by date. 3/ Above said actors must be male. Female actors seeking a starring role, needn’t apply.

When it comes to having books adapted for the big screen, Stephen King is just that. He currently has had over forty of his published work adapted for both TV and film, with even more to come. It’s reached the point now where the originals are now getting remade, like Carrie, It, and this title, which King originally wrote in 1983.

Superhero flicks and climate change have one thing in common – both are unstoppable forces that will ultimately be the death of us. If only there was a superhero who could save us from both perils?

When an actor decides to have a go at being behind the camera, it’s a natural transition. Even more so if they’ve spent a number of years in the acting game. That’s exactly what acclaimed British actor Ralph (Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-) Fiennes did in 2011, when he directed Coriolanus. Two years later he helmed The Invisible Woman, which sadly wasn’t a comic book title.

With Disney such a dominant force – not just in the world of animation, but thanks to their recent studio purchases, all of film kind – it’s difficult for other studios to compete head to head.

Before the release of 2017’s Get Out, not many held out much hope for it; after all, it was written and directed by Jordan Peele, who, only a year before, was mostly responsible for the dire effort Keanu, a comedy that was about as funny as having your face ripped off by a horde of ravenous feral cats.

There has to be times, in all our lives, where we’ve considered suing our parents for one thing or another. For instance, TV doesn’t constitute being an actual bone fide baby sitter. Nor does having to trawl around a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon count as a family day out.

There are just not enough good people in the world. Fact. This is no doubt because bad things invariably happen to them. Take that Jesus fella; he was always doing nice things for other folk, making sure they had food on their plates, sorting them out with their aches and pains, and look what happened to him.

We live in uncertain, divisive times, sadly. The last thing we need is a film that highlights the problems that can arise with borders. But despite the name, this is not a politically motivated feature, thank God.

Films about drug wars aren’t that unusual, they often go a bit like this: young whippersnapper comes up the ranks, wants to make an impression, throw their considerable ego around, “hey, who are you, to throw your ego around?” – “bang, bang, you’re dead!”, - ”No, bangbang You’re dead!!”. The end.

The revenge thriller. If anyone has made this sub-genre their very own in recent years, it’s Liam Neeson. 2008’s Taken single-handedly re-invented this Irish actor in his mid fifties as an action hero, serving cold dishes of revenge, left, right and centre. He’s back, serving an even chillier dish than normal, in his latest action thriller.

It’s funny all the made up stuff people will believe in; just take Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy and religion, for example. You can also add wrestling to that list; essentially play fight panto that involves aggressive cuddling, it’s managed to become a hugely popular form of entertainment, especially in the US, making household names out of the likes of Hulk Hogan and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

It must be great to be a Gyllenhaal. It doesn’t matter which one really, Maggie, or younger bro Jake; whenever either of them pop up in a film, you know it’s worth a watch, just because one of them is simply in it.

When actor Joel Edgerton decided to pop behind the camera for 2015’s The Gift, which he also starred in, alongside Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, it felt as if that maybe more the direction, as it were, his career was going to take him.

So you manage to make a film (2008’s Medicine for Melancholy), which you write and direct. It’s critically acclaimed, but doesn’t find a wider audience.

If Peter Pan had a twin, and both ended up working in film, you’d have the Farrelly brothers. For much of their adult lives, the pair have helmed some of the silliest films in modern history, including There‘s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal and both Dumb and Dumber flicks.

Truth is a curious old concept. After all, one person’s truth can be another’s stinking pile of rotting cabbage. And as Mark Twain said (or did he?), never let the truth stand in the way of a good story. So if you thought that fake news was a modern phenomenon, think again.

If you asked anyone from this generation who the best comedy double act was, you’d probably be greeted by the names Ant and Dec. For those of an older disposition however, whose summers as youths were littered with classic black and white slapstick films on TV, there could be but one reply – Laurel and Hardy.

Before 2011, Melissa McCarthy was carving out a credible career as a comic actor on US TV in shows such as Gilmore Girls, the short-lived Samantha Who?, and Mike & Molly. In 2011, director Paul Feig cast her in his film Bridesmaids, and everything changed. Despite not even being a starring role, McCarthy’s Megan made like a thief and stole every scene she was in, making her a star overnight. She picked up an Oscar nomination too (for best Supporting Actress), for her troubles.

Monarchs have got it so easy these days. All they have to do is mooch about in big houses, wave weirdly for a bit out of cars, and open a new wing to an already run down NHS hospital.

Since politics actually became a thing, the word has been synonymous with scandal. It’s got to the point now however, where the words almost mean the same thing, particularly where the current POTUS is concerned.

It’s easy to dismiss the Transformers films as being nothing other than flashy, trashy toy tie-ins. And that they are, no question. But somehow, considering that the franchise is made up of only six titles – including this spin-off – it is the 13th highest grossing film series of all time. And that’s including two instalments that have grossed over $1 billion each. That’s a lot of spare parts for your buck.

It’s unclear quite when it happened, but somewhere along the way, Olivia Colman became a national treasure, or at the very least, a national treasure in waiting. No doubt playing royalty, twice in quick succession (here and as Liz 2 in the upcoming third season of The Crown on Netflix), is a big help. Just ask Helen Mirren.

If there’s one actor who is keen on keeping the period drama alive it’s Keira Knightley. For the majority of her career, she has been wearing corsets, jaunty hats and serious pouts, in various historical dramas. And doing very well as a result.

Ice-cream. Everybody loves it, right? But if you’re force fed tubs of it, morning, noon and night, it would probably start to lose its appeal. Not to mention all that brain freeze to contend with. Now swap ‘ice-cream’ for ‘superhero flicks’ and you’ll probably get where we’re going with this.

It happens all too rarely these days, but once in a while, a director produces something both quirky and stimulating. With this his second feature, Nicolas Pesce has done just that with his weird and darkly wonderful adaption of the 1994 novel by Ryū Murakami.

There was a time, not so long ago, when we would be crying out for our favourite childhood comic book heroes to blast their way onto the big screen. And now that it’s happened, not so much. With both Marvel and DC now saturating the market, audiences now find themselves drowning in superhero titles. Luckily for them, we can now all be saved by the fishy Aquaman!

It’s disappointing that possessions are seen in such a negative light. Imagine, working in a soulless, dead end job and having the ability to be possessed during your work hours. You can literally switch off and not be affected by the mundane nature of your job, whilst your possessee, who let’s face it, would probably be over the moon at the chance to live a little once again, excitedly gets on with your working day. That’s what you call a win win.

If ever there was a cinematic female character to rival Bond, it would be Lisbeth Salander. Like Bond, she first started life on the page, in Stieg Larsson’s series of novels. Then she jumped to the screen, as a smart, tough cookie, spending the time protecting those who struggle protecting themselves.

After the final Harry Potter film disappeared from our screens and lives, there was a resounding sense of finality over such wizardry exploits. Sadly that was just wishful thinking.

It’s all well and good being an average rock band, above average even, but if you don’t have an enigmatic front man, greatness will always elude you. Just ask Nickelback.

There’s one thing that can bring people together in this world and that’s the understanding of how divisive politics can be. From the outside – of the US that is – you would think that after several shootings in schools, something would be done about gun laws. In 2012, a 20-year-old walked into the Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newton, Connecticut, and shot dead 20 children under the age of seven. It should have been the final straw. It wasn’t.

It’s a name that sounds like it’s been around for years, and yet First Man is only the third feature to be directed by French American director Damien Chazelle. His debut, Whiplash, was massively impressive, so it was no real surprise that his follow-up La La Land would pick up six Oscars.

A lot of actors, who’d like to dabble with being behind the camera, usually start off making their directorial debut with a modest project, just to dip their creative toes in the directing waters. Not so Bradley Cooper.

For a comedian, to get asked to present the Oscars is a pretty cool gig; after all, with its impressive global reach, stages don’t get much bigger. And despite his diminutive size, Kevin Hart could fill it, which is no doubt why the academy offered him the job.

Saturation point. That’s pretty much where we’re at now with superhero flicks. Not that it looks like slowing down at any time soon. So, with so much out there, how do you go about standing out from the caped crowd?

With so many big budget releases taking up time at the water cooler, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that a vibrant indie filmmaking scene still exists, thankfully. Here then, is a fine example of (relatively) low budget adventures in film.

This is not the film we were expecting. Considering the predatory nature of the current POTUS, there was a chance this was a biopic of how such a tangerine of a man managed to win the top job. It would’ve probably starred Will Ferrell, with Kathy Burke playing the role of Melania, and featured a cameo of Adam Sandler as Donald Jr.

Once in a while, for some inexplicable reason, a film comes along that audiences just get. Rom-com Crazy Rich Asians is one such flick – to the impressive global box office take of just shy of £240 million.

In 1993, Die Hard director John McTiernan decided to make a fun action flick with his Predator star Arnold Swarzennegger, called Last Action Hero. It was a lame duck, and sadly continued the director’s slide into obscurity.

A lot can happen in fourteen years. You can meet the love of your life, move in together, watch the entire box set of Lost, take up pottery because you both loved Ghost, have a child together, throw all the pottery you made together at each other, and then divorce over irreconcilable differences. And then have thirteen years to get over it.

It’s difficult to ever imagine Harry Dean Stanton as a young man. During his long film career, he always appeared to have a well-worn face on a spindly frame. Just to look at him you could tell that he had lived a life or three, and certainly had the kind of stories that would have you hanging on every word.

With both Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro both on comic duty recently, with Brolin not only in Deadpool 2, but sharing Marvel-lous moments with Del Toro in Avengers: Infinity War, the pair have returned to more serious matters with this sequel to 2015’s Sicario.

Somewhat unbelievably, Nicolas Cage is fast approaching his one hundredth appearance on film. To put that in a little context, Tom Cruise, who is two years his junior, has starred in 46. But as we all know, quantity does not equate to quality. And no-one knows that more than Nic Cage fans.

Sitting, transfixed by what you’re witnessing, your grip tightening, and chills dancing up and down your spine. No, you’re not watching an Adam Sandler flick, it’s more of a bone fide horror experience on the big screen. When filmmakers get that heady recipe right, there’s no filmic sensation quite like it. When they get it wrong, you get Hereditary.

Shoes can be hard to fill. Space shoes harder still (and not just because it’s even trickier to get a wider fit in all of space), particularly when they contain big-footed Harrison Ford playing the iconic space pirate Han Solo.

It’s common knowledge that the Oscars often get it wrong. A fine example of this was in this year’s Best Animated Film category. The category was dominated by glossy Hollywood titles, with the Oscar going to the surprisingly disappointing Disney Pixar title Coco.

There’s no denying that if you ever found yourself in a bit of a pickle, having a superhero come and rescue you would be pretty darn useful. But do they have to be so nice and self-righteous about it? No, not if they go to Deadpool’s FU School of Superheroes. Current number of attendees? One.

You know what that they say about first impressions, it’s easy to make a shit one. They also so that you should never trust anyone who makes a good one. The moral of the story clearly is, it’s just safer to make no impression at all. That’s how we roll, and it works for us. Kinda. Amy Schumer however, rolls in a completely different direction.

If you want to get to know someone, technology has arguably made it easier than ever. Poke here, swipe right there, follow someone everywhere. It hasn’t always been that easy however, just ask your parents, if they’re still talking to each other, that is. In Dominic Cooke’s film, based on Ian McEwan’s book, he puts a young couple’s relationship under a microscope, during a period when microscopes didn’t require plugging in.

You know that a franchise is unstoppable when you need another pair of hands to add up how many films in the series there has been. This instalment marks one digit short of the twentieth entry, and talking of numbers, the third in the Avengers series.

When the delightful comedy Juno was released in 2007, it felt like it would be the start of great things for its director Jason Reitman, and writer Diablo Cody. And despite working together a number of times (2009’s Jennifer’s Body – written by Cody and produced by Reitman, and 2011’s Young Adult), that same kind of magic hasn’t made it up onto the big screen again.

A woman walks into a bar. Ouch. And that’s why, ladies and gents, comedy should be left to the professionals. The subtext of that gag of course, is that women never get it easy. Actually, maybe it’s the sub, sub, sub text, but it’s there, somewhere, probably.

The number one irritant when watching a film - albeit within the sacred walls of a cinema, or just at home – is noise. Of course this has only gotten worse with the invention of portable phone devices. There was a time when a grizzled tut would do the job, perhaps followed by a death stare, but the ignorant have become hardened to such reproaches, and it seems that they are prepared to irritate otherwise mute audience members no matter what.

The name Diane Kruger is a familiar one; not only did she make an impact in Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, but also starred in the US remake of Nordic noir series The Bridge, amongst other screen credits.

For years a war has raged; a battle between two very different animals, vying for the attention of humans across the land. It boils down to one simple question: which are best, cats or dogs? The thing is, it’s actually an easy answer – dogs.

Nostalgia, as we know it, will soon be dead. Where once memories might have been triggered by brown corduroy and weak orange squash, will shortly be replaced by reminiscing chats about the very first app you bought, the first TV series you streamed illegally, or your favourite fake news story. Welcome to the era of post-modern nostalgia.

In 2011 actor Paddy Considine made his directorial debut with the powerfully bleak Tyrannosaur, which he also wrote. Now whether it was as emotionally draining to direct as it was to watch is unclear, but Considine hasn’t popped back behind the camera since. This effort however, finally sees his directing comeback.

The last twelve months have been popular for the word ‘wonder’ in film; there was the syrupy Wonder with Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson; there was also Woody Allen’s highly enjoyable Wonder Wheel, and now this from American director Todd Haynes.

At the beginning of the nineties, Holly Hunter’s career was the epitome of the Yazz hit from 1988 – the Only Way is Up – off the back of starring in some big hitters, namely Raising Arizona and Broadcast News. Instead of continuing to appear in Hollywood flicks, Hunter decided to go with a project with a new, fairly unknown foreign director, to be shot in a strange foreign land, long before hobbits made it famous.

So often in life, kids end up taking advantage of their parents, in one way or several others. It usually starts off with small stuff, like silly amounts of pocket money, or demanding a new phone to ignore them on, to ultimately moving back rent free because of your failed life/marriage and demanding they sign up to Netflix so you can catch season 2 of Jessica Jones.

They say that competition is healthy, but it can really bring out the worst in people. So much so that there’s actually a new version of the board game Monopoly – the Cheaters Edition – that encourages cheating to win. But even in this version, someone still has to lose, and presumably badly, so even trying to cheat doesn’t guarantee success, although certain politicians could argue otherwise.

What is it with mankind, huh? Whenever it comes across someone/thing a little different that turns up on our radar, it feels the need to send in the white coat brigade with their probes, to prod here, there and did you really have to put it there?!. At least that’s how it comes across in films.

If an actor is serious about their profession, then at some point they have to lawyer up. It’s a rite of passage for many to play an advocate of the law, and for some they’re just ticking a box. Denzel Washington already knows this, as he got his lawyering badge for his role in 1993’s Philadelphia. But he had to take a back seat for that one, as his co-star Tom Hanks stole the show, picking up an Oscar for his troubles.

Someone in Hollywood must really hate Sam Worthington. Initially at least, starring in James Cameron’s Avatar must have seemed a dream job. However, Not only did he end up looking like a human Smurf, he has to do so again at least four more times for the subsequent sequels that are sadly on their way.

To quote a certain Private Frazer, we’re all doomed. Over the years, we’ve not-so-slowly been destroying the planet. It’s great that those with a social conscience do their best to be responsible by cycling, recycling and turning tech off instead of leaving it on standby. But realistically, the damage has already been done and we’re truly buggered. So, so long, and thanks for the fish.

Twenty three years ago, Robin Williams starred in the family friendly Jumanji. Although it didn’t go down well with critics, audiences loved it and made it the 10th highest grossing film of the year.

Thanks to the many splendid advances in technology, any Tom, Dick, or Steven Soderbergh can make a film just by picking up a mobile phone. Whether it’s actually worth watching however, is another matter.

The western is dead. Sad but true. Some might say that the genre has only muted into superhero flicks, with two tribes fighting it out, but with far more Lycra. But if we’ve learnt anything from film (which, if you’re anything like us, is pretty much everything), things often come back from the dead.

Old rivalries are hard to shrug off. Just ask Superman and Lex Luther. But the biggest rivalry isn’t currently happening on our screens, but off of them. It’s taking place between long term adversaries, which sees Marvel (/Disney) locking horns with DC (/Warner Bros.).

There was a time, believe it or not, when if you had something to say to someone, you'd say it to their face. Or if you were sly, behind their back. Thanks to social media however, you can now slag said person off to the world - isn't that right Donald? That's progress for you. #progresssucks

It’s been five years since Austrian director Michael Haneke last released a film – 2012’s Amour - so it sadly looks like he’s slowing down his cinematic output. Let’s face it though, at the grand age of 75, he’s allowed to. And although Happy End couldn’t be considered his best work, Haneke is still keen to poke around at the underbelly of civilised society and make audiences squirm.

The state of Florida has a reputation for a number of things: theme parks, alligators, oranges and old people. In fact you can combine the last two on that list too, as there are huge amounts of orange old people that can be found there, roaming around.

If we’ve learnt anything in life it’s this: you can’t keep a bad horror villain down. The same can be said for bad horror franchises too. Saw thrust itself with a pointy head into audiences for the first time in 2004. Since then it has spawned an entire tool shop’s worth of sequels.

What they can do within the world of animation now is truly mind-boggling. But with its heavy reliance on technology and CPU power, it’s a long way off from its hand drawn origins. And although the end product looks stunning, it’s now more about grunt tech work than artistry.

When Deckard’s story came to an end in Blade Runner, released in 1982, there was no sense that a sequel was necessary at all. Thirty six years on in the future, with the release of director Denis Villeneuve’s follow up, that sentiment remains.

Due to recent events, there’s a veritable chill in the air when mentioning the once great Weinstein Company. It’s ironic then, that one of their most recent (and possibly final?) releases is set in the freezing cold environs of Wyoming. But unlike Harvey, this particular release is definitely worth a cold embrace.

Here's a fact for you - Australia is huge. It's so big you could actually fit an entire Australia inside of it. There are of course more kangaroos than Australians in the country, which may be the reason that the country's film industry has never exploded; after all, kangaroos have yet to learn how to operate cameras.

Ah, man's best friend. Over the years he's had his fair share of adventures on the big screen, from informing others of poor little Timmy's demise at the bottom of the well, to fur-coated fun often at the expense of bemused humans.

It won't come as a surprise to anyone to learn that robots will eventually take over the earth. They can serve drinks now, answer questions (and tell bad jokes) and can even drive cars. Surely it's only a matter of time before they realise what's the point of human kind, and they'd be better off without us.

When it was first announced that there was to be a LEGO film, it felt like a further nail in the coffin (made of LEGO, naturally) of current beige cinema.

Director Peter Berg knows a thing or two about disaster flicks; he did after all direct the woefully bad Battleship, which was inconceivably based on the classic guessing game. Thankfully it quickly sank without a trace, but surprisingly, Berg's directing career didn't.

It was in 1976 that cartoonist Jim Davis created his iconic character Garfield, who soon went on to be declared by the Guinness Book of Records as the most syndicated comic strip around the world.

It’s a little strange how Liam Neeson’s career pivoted when it did, with the release of Taken. Not strange in the sense that it happened to him, but in the sense that it hasn’t really happened to anyone else.

There’s something really rather admirable about John Krasinski. As one of the breakout stars of The US Office, he was always destined for not necessarily better things, but certainly bigger.

Often topping the list of most common phobias isn’t, as you might expect, the fear of common lists of phobias, but arachnophobia – the fear of spiders.

Believe it or not Viggo Mortensen’s first big screen role was playing a member of the Amish community in Peter Weir’s 1985 Witness.

The great thing about art is that it can live on far longer than those who made it do. But some artists die far too young...

So you’re a black actor, doing pretty well on the TV series circuit, getting some plum roles. But you have aspirations, as writer and director, for the big screen, so want to produce something noticeable.

It’s always curious to see what a director does next after their debut, especially if it created a certain amount of buzz.

There was a time, not so long ago, when Marvel looked as invincible as their roster of superheroes. But that tide appears to be turning, with a number of recent releases not meeting expectations. And then there’s Madame Web.

The last film that rated US director Michael Mann helmed was 2015’s Black Hat, which failed to impress.

We’ve often made comments on these very pages of how terrifyingly good many of the young screen actors are these days, with the kind of performances that suggests they have absorbed the Stanislavsky theory at an embryonic stage.

It’s been six years since Andrew Haigh’s remarkable Lean on Pete, which happens to be yet another addition to the British director’s eclectic collection of films to date, despite his relatively small body of work.

It’s good to have a friend or two in life, to share common interests with, to go for a bite to eat with, to play FIFA with. But then you find out that they snogged your girlfriend/boyfriend behind your back...

It’s not unusual for directors to take time off between projects, often a year or two, but Victor Erice has taken some sabbatical from making features; his last full length film being 1992’s Dream of Light.

Some of the most prominent figures in any young person’s life are their teachers. And of course you had your favourites, who were usually the most friendly and accessible.

There are many things that can contribute to being unhappy; for some it can be forced to listen to any recent Coldplay album, for others it could be discovering that you really aren’t a cat person after all.

When it comes to animated ducks, one reigns supreme – no not Count Duckula – it is of course Donald.

It’s surprising how certain genres catch the imagination of an audience. For example, It feels like ever since the success of Netflix’s Tiger King, the true crime documentary has just exploded.

You just can’t keep a successful franchise down, that’s what Hollywood would have us believe at any rate.

When it comes to social commentary, someone who’s somewhat of a British institution in capturing it for the screen is Ken Loach.

It has been said for a number of years by cultural commentators that black characters get a raw deal in horror films, as they’re often the first to get killed off. And they’re not wrong.

Although he’s only early on in his career, Andrea Pallaoro is already focused on a trilogy of themed films, around femininity.

It’s been a long running gag now, fuelled by numerous examples it has to be said, that black characters in horror films are the first to die.

Going away to another country with your mates on holiday is often a seminal moment in a young person’s life.

There is a theory that has long been established, one that has been thoroughly explored in cinema, and continues to be so, and that is the exploration of the male gaze: it’s one that takes the point of view of the male, who looks upon the female as a sexual object.

When it comes to social commentary, someone who’s somewhat of a British institution in capturing it for the screen is Ken Loach.

Tilda Swinton always appears to be in high demand, which is no surprise when you consider what she often brings to a role. The British actress has a remarkable track record with working with a diverse range of directors...

In 1963, Disney released The Incredible Journey, a heart-warming tale of two dogs and a cat going on a remarkable adventure to catch up with their owners. It was a film that highlighted the bond between pets and their owners...

After the pitiful The Equalizer 2, it felt that the collaboration between director Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington needed a break from the franchise. And to be fair, they did, if only for five years.

To think, it was 2004 when we first saw a fresh-face Jigsaw with a keen sense of play, on our screens for the first time.

It hasn’t taken long for Christopher Nolan to become an event director. It probably began when he took charge of his Batman trilogy that begin in 2005 with Batman Begins, that saw him broaden his cinematic horizons, quite literally.

Another week, another Nicolas Cage film. The Oscar-winning actor is clearly on a quest to break some kind of record for starring in the most films of all time, with this being the sixth film he’s appeared in this year alone.

As a horror concept is concerned, it appears the classic haunted house scenario is out of vogue. It’s all about mutilation now, or hunting someone down, or zombies – still, for crying out loud.

Just as the festive period rolls into sight, some of us might need a kick start to get into the spirit. This could be a mince pie, or a cheeky mulled wine, or digging out those Christmas socks from the depth of your sock drawer.

Although film is obviously a form of entertainment, there’s no denying that it is an industry, one where making profit is king.

Over the years Australia has produced an abundance of talent, the problem has been keeping it, with the lure of Hollywood too strong for many of them.

After his version of a western, 1995’s Dead Man starring Johnny Depp, indie director Jim Jarmusch decided to go further back in history, and give it a contemporary twist with his modern take on the samurai.

For a horror film franchise to become successful it normally has to rely on an evil antagonist that audiences are so gripped by, they come back for more.

Having been protecting the galaxy since 2014, this is a swansong for not only the guardians, but also for the writer and director of the franchise itself James Gunn, who has decided to take off to another universe, as the new head of the DCU.

Animated films about characters with feelings appear to be in vogue, with films such as Inside Out, Soul and Turning Red. They also have one more thing in common, being all produced by Pixar.

Minds blown. That’s what happened with the release of the animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018 – across all the multi-verses.

For a few weeks towards the latter end of 1972, a diverse bunch of actors including Edward Woodward, Britt Eklund and Christopher Lee, found themselves in rural parts of Scotland filming a low budget British horror film.

The curve ball. A term to denote something unexpected in the grand scheme of things. American director Richard Linklater has built a career on having a distinct style of film-making as well as recurring themes, such as coming of age, in his films such as 1990’s Slacker, 1993’s Dazed and Confused and 2001’s Waking Life.

Having parents can be hard work; sometimes it’s difficult to see eye to eye on certain things, and the generational gap often feels that it’s getting even wider. But you have that family bond, no matter what.

The origin story is most often associated with that of superheroes, as it reveals their coming to being. But it’s not exclusive to the worlds of marvel and DC, as this classic tale illustrates.

When it was announced that a film about Nintendo’s mascot was in production, it was met with widespread scepticism. This is no surprise when you consider that the majority of game to film features have been more than a little disappointing, to say the least.

When it comes to British black cinema, there’s a disappointing tendency to not only rely on tired clichés, such as gang, drugs and crime culture, but to reinforce them.

There’s something terribly French about Léa Seydoux. Of course there’s the glaring fact that she is French, which can’t be denied, but it’s more than that.

If it wasn’t for the success of What We Do in the Shadows, most would probably not be that familiar with the role of the familiar in vampire lore.

There are a number of things that spring to mind when you think of Argentina: the tango; some of the best footballers in the world; a decent Malbec, and the country Evita asked not to cry for her, to name but a few.

There’s something truly disturbing about a film that features dental work; if any of you have seen Marathon Man then you’ll completely understand.

In 1929, Erich Maria Remarque wrote All Quiet on the Western Front; it was a novel that focused on the horrors of war for German soldiers during WW1, which as a veteran of that war he had some first-hand experience in.

Sixty years after its original release, Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris gets the 4K restoration treatment. Considered one of his best films, based on Alberto Moravia’s 1954 novel, it stars Brigitte Bardot and Michel Piccoli as a couple who soon find their marriage in turmoil.

If you ask youngsters today what they want to be when they grow up, top of the list is bound to be the likes of reality star or social influencer. One career you can guarantee that won’t feature on any list is that of poet.

It’s not unusual to see monsters on the big screen in various guises. Some have made so many returns that the franchise has also included an origins story, which has become more and more prevalent in recent years.

If anyone could be said to be following in their father’s footsteps it’s Brandon Cronenberg. Not only has he become a director much like his celebrated dad David, but he has also chosen to produce films of a similar nature, involving sci-fi and horror.

Much like its titular hero, this is a franchise that isn’t ready to bite the bullet anytime soon.

One of the most fascinating and intriguing US directors of his generation has to be David Lynch. It’s a surprise to think then that he has to date only released ten films, with this one, released in 2006, his last.

It appears in the current climate of cinema, it’s a rare to have a sci-fi film released that isn’t part of an already established franchise. Exactly the same could be said for films that feature dinosaurs.

Mankind has had its moments, some good, many not so good. It occasionally manages greatness, such as putting a man on the moon.

As far as the 20th century was concerned, there was one director who stood out as someone whose lifelong ambition was to give his audiences thrills and chills, so much so that the title of master of suspense was bestowed upon him – Alfred Hitchcock.

Nobody likes a test. Except maybe swats, but nobody cares about them. Sitting down with a bunch of questions that are to determine how smart you are. Or not.

It’s said one of the safest forms of travel is flying. It doesn’t help however, when Hollywood insists, on a regular basis, of having all manner of things happen on aeroplanes to put us off using them; you can find yourself sitting next to murderers, psychopaths, or even worse, bridesmaids.

When the original Magic Mike was released in 2012, it was soon after that its director Steven Soderbergh announced his retirement from filmmaking. Whether having his star Channing Tatum gyrating in his face during the production had anything to do with it is unclear, but he soon cleared his head, and returned to direct not long after.

A film director is similar to a conductor of an orchestra in that they can only work with what they have in front of them.

The term national treasure is a peculiarly British thing, anointed upon a specific type of entertainer. It appears the only way to become one is if someone says a person’s name – say, Judi Dench – and it’s met with an immediate wave of agreement. If it’s not, bad news.

Nepotism has its perks, just ask Sofia Coppola. She made her first – and only – short film Lick the Star in 1998, which had her dad, Francis Ford Coppola producing, and the family film company American Zoetrope providing all the help and assistance she needed.

It was with the release of American psychologist Walter Pitkin’s self help book Life Begins at Forty in 1932, that the phrase grew in popularity. But it wasn’t always the case, as prior to it, it was more common for it to be said that ‘death begins at forty’, due to a far shorter life expectancy.

It was only recently we were describing how influential a TV show can be to the careers of its stars. The case in point was the BBC drama Normal People and the impressive trajectory it’s taken Daisy Edgar-Jones on, which has sent her Hollywood bound with the release of Where the Crawdads Sing.

There’s always been a link between horror and sexuality, especially where vampires are concerned, as depicted in the earlier Dracula films all the way up to The Twilight Saga.

The world of film was shocked by the news of the death of rising star Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer in 2020. The actor joined the MCU in 2016, as he took on the part of Black Panther, which culminated in him starring in the film of the same name in 2018.

Love. You can fall in it, out of it, but the tricky bit must surely be staying in it. Cinema has been there, over the years, documenting the business of love, in a number of ways, with the most entertaining being the romantic comedy – aka the rom-com.

With the advent of CCTV, and everyone carrying around cameras on their phones, it’s no wonder that you could have the distinct feeling that you’re being watched. Chances are these days, you are.

Crime doesn’t pay. Well, that’s what they want us to believe, but it isn’t exactly true. The full saying should be ‘crime doesn’t pay – if you don’t get away with it’; and here’s the thing, plenty do.

Nature is a marvellous thing, what with the wind and trees and that. And not forgetting birds, with their beaks and feathers, and tiny little claws. And their creative way to give birth; their young all pre gift wrapped up in a protective shell, to no doubt cut down on all that unnecessary mess.

It’s not unheard of for a TV show to have a breakout star who goes on to better things, but it’s rare for one show to produce a number of stars, just as the US version of The Office did.

It’s difficult to imagine what the folk of Haddonfield, Illinois, see in living in their town, although we have a troubling neighbour who believes it’s ok to play music loudly in their garden – the horror of jazz of all things – so maybe Michael Myers isn’t so bad.

The English as a whole don’t have the best reputation when going abroad. We’re not all that keen on the foreign muck they serve, and prefer that standards of fish and chips and the full day breakfast are available at all times.

When you put a group of people together, and expect them to work in close quarters for long hours at a time, usually one of two things can happen; a level of intimacy can grow which can lead to tension in the work place, or a growing sense of being annoyed coming from spending far too much time in certain company.

In 1994 Kevin Smith wrote and directed his first feature Clerks. It was a film inspired by Smith’s time working in a convenience store in his home town of Leonardo, New Jersey.

Who can refuse a twofer deal, especially in such difficult times. This one is made even more appealing when you consider that you’re not only getting Julia Roberts starring in a film but George Clooney too.

It’s safe to say that the majority of European cinema is not produced to compete with big-budgeted Hollywood titles with their need for box office success. Most are considered more thoughtful, more cerebral material. In other words, more European.

It’s not often that films will affect an audience to such a degree that they change their career path and apply in their droves, but that’s exactly what they did in 1986, with the release of Tony Scott’s Top Gun, which led to a huge increase in recruitment numbers for the US Navy.

If there’s one type of film that us Brits can produce it’s a period feature. Not only are we damn good at making them, but they do bloody well globally too; no doubt it’s born from a fascination at how peculiar our social structure was, and how utterly ridiculous it all looks.

Once in a while a show comes along that enters the zeitgeist, becoming a hit, albeit a cult one. The BBC/Hulu drama Normal People was one such show, making stars of its two leads Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal.

1986 was a pretty good year for film, with a solid top ten of box office hits including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Aliens, Platoon, and taking the number one spot, Top Gun.

Just from the very nature of war, sequels rarely happen, with WW2 being a notable exemption. The same can be said of war films, which always somehow manage to pack the whole war experience into one feature.

1993, and for audiences it marked a point in film history where the impossible became more possible, with the release of Jurassic Park. Never before had they seen such realistic portrayals of dinosaurs, alive on the big screen.

To infinity and beyond. A promise often made by a toy played with by Andy. And although he had adventures with his friends Woody, Hamm, Rex, Bo Peep and the rest of the gang, it was a promise, made by a grounded toy space ranger, which simply couldn’t come to fruition. Until now.

It’s easy to think that gun crime is essentially a US problem, with the horrific frequency of individuals choosing to go on shooting sprees there. Although less frequent, they do happen in other countries, such as here in the UK with the Dunblane massacre in 1996.

When it comes to being the OG bad boy of tennis, there can only be one name: John McEnroe. His on court outburst and tantrums have become legendary in the usually polite game of tennis, but they never disguised the fact that he was one of the GOAT’s in the modern game.

In 1969, the final season of Star Trek aired in the US. Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi show based around the exploration of the universe, surprisingly only lasted three seasons. And that should have been it, if it wasn’t for it being picked up for syndication, whereby local TV affiliates buy the episodes to air whenever they want in their local area.

There’s a particular style of humour that seems specific to us Brits, and that’s cringe comedy. It all revolves embarrassment, for both the characters and audience involved.

If there was one director who knew how to make a stir in the late eighties and nineties it’s Paul Verhoeven. With films like RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Starship Troopers, the Dutch director courted controversy and debate, often concerning the use of violence and sex.

When The Last Seduction was released in 1994, many felt it signalled the arrival of a major talent in John Dahl. It was a dark, steamy, noir thriller, with some impressive performances from its stars Peter Berg and Linda Fiorentino.

It was 1993 when the world saw esteemed British actor Bob Hoskins don his red and blue overhauls in portraying the world’s most famous plumper in Super Mario Bros., the first live action film to feature a video game character.

Even at the top of their game, many actors end up revering others in their field, known as actors’ actors. These types often come from a theatrical background, with most notable examples being Laurence Olivier and more recent thesps such as Ian McKellen and Judi Dench.

It’s easy to sometimes think of Michael Caine as a parody of himself: you have the often cited quote of course, from the 1969 classic The Italian Job, where only some doors were to come away from the vehicle; as well as the popular phrase “not a lot of people know that”, which is wrongly attributed to the 89 year old actor, as it was first uttered by Peter Sellers doing an impression of him on a talk show in the seventies; and there’s also the 1984 song by Madness, ‘Michael Caine’, that features the actor repeating “my name is Michael Caine”.

We should consider ourselves fortunate with the high quality of animation that has come our way in recent years.

Having spent years as a varied character actor, it was remarkable to see Liam Neeson have a renaissance so late on in his career, which came by way of the success of the 2008 action thriller Taken.

With all the success, and well money, that Disney is getting from being the keepers of the Marvel universe, it’s no wonder that Sony is keen on expanding theirs.

If you have ever been in a casino then you’ll know what soulless, depressing venues they are. Sure they look exciting in films, but the reality is far more sombre and sobering; natural light is banned so that punters aren’t aware of the time of day it is - therefore how long they’ve been on the premises losing for – as customers pour their hard-earned cash into hungry slot machines with no intention of paying out big.

There’s always something fascinating about the heist flick; the notion of a cunning plan, months in the preparation, seeing a crack team recruited for an outrageous job that, if they manage to pull it off, will make them a fortune.

It’s no surprise with how glamorous being a film star is that it often attracts those from the music world. From Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles, to David Bowie and Madonna; all have made that leap from one genre to the other, with some being more successful than others.

Having spent a number of years working at BBC Radio 1 in a DJ capacity, Reggie Yates knows a thing or two about radio. It makes perfect sense then for the all-round broadcaster to have a radio theme to his full-length directorial debut that he’s also written.

You can say what you like about the Russians - actually best not, as they’re probably listening in with their spying devices. What is fairly safe to say is that they make a good, dependable enemy, for Hollywood that is. Sure, in recent times it’s dabbled with Eastern Europeans, but they’re just a poor substitute for the real deal.

There’s a reason why German director Roland Emmerich has been dubbed the “master of disaster”; throughout his career he has helmed a fair few features that fit nicely into the disaster genre, which include 1996’s Independence Day, 1998’s Godzilla, 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow and 2009’s 2012.

With his classy accent, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Kenneth Branagh was anything but an Englishman through and through. The fact is, he was actually born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and didn’t move to England until he was 9 years old.

Having done such a swell job with their first gig, with a budget of $75 million and making a standing ovation worthy box office return of over $630 million, no wonder Buster Moon and the rest of the cast were eager to tread the boards again for this musical sequel.

With over sixty acting credits to his name, with his big screen debut coming by way of playing an Amish farmer in Peter Weir’s 1985 classic Witness, Viggo Mortensen is trying his hand behind the camera for the very first time.

It wasn’t that long ago that film actors wouldn’t touch a TV project with the proverbial barge pole, as it mostly would signal a decline in their career.

There is a phenomenon that a number of women can go through during pregnancy called ‘baby brain’: it can cause a general mushiness of the brain, resulting in a cerebral fogginess that’s hard to shake.

Venom is one of those rare Marvel characters where the main attraction was the actor playing him rather than the character itself. The film certainly wouldn’t have pinged that highly on mainstream audiences’ radar if a relative unknown played him, that’s for sure.

It’s difficult to deny the impact that streaming has made on how we all consume our media these days, although it could be argued that there’s a case of quantity over quality.

There are certain actors who you would probably think twice about approaching, which would include your Nic Cage’s, Sean Penn’s, Jared Leto’s and the like. Not that they would necessarily give you a hard time, but they have personas that might not make them that approachable.

It only seems appropriate that if anyone was going to do a documentary on musician extraordinaire Frank Zappa, it should be one half of musical saviours Wyld Stallyns.

There was one Irish band that managed to sell over 12 million records in Japan in the eighties, selling more than The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Adele and Ed Sheeran combined. Was it U2? Nope. Was it The Cranberries? Uh-uh. It was The Nolans.

We’ve said it before here, and we’ll say it again, nostalgia is overrated. The idea of looking back at how great things were then to how presumably shitty they are now just isn’t that productive.

So you have this idea for a film, a blind man who just so happens to be a Navy Seal vet, whose house gets broken into by a gang of kids. Needless to say, the kids regret picking on the wrong war vet, who isn’t best pleased about having visitors.

On the 31st of January, 1990, the very first McDonald’s opened its doors in Russia, in its capital Moscow. Since then, the American fast food giant has opened over 750 restaurants all over Russia.

There’s no disputing the fact that society has benefitted from the incredible advances in technology over the years. But as welcome as these advances are, they can come at a cost. For instance, the adoption of electronic mail has brought with it the death of the art of letter writing.

When GOATs collide. That’s what you get when two of the Greatest Of All Time in their respective fields, join forces on the big screen.

When the news was first released that Disney was going to release a film based on one of its theme park rides, it was met with universal derision. But when 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl ended up with box offices takings surpassing $650 million dollars, Disney most certainly had the last laugh. And considering the franchise of five films has taken in over $4.5 billion, that’s some impressive ride.

Although it doesn’t happen nearly as often as it does with British talent, there are a number of French actors that have managed to break the fickle US market.

Considering what a commodity they have become in recent years, it’s surprising that truffles don’t feature more in film. Sure, the idea of a truffle heist probably isn’t as exciting as stealing gold or cash, but if you get Vin Diesel behind the wheel with a top crew behind him, you can smell those box office figures.

If you’re expecting the latest sci-fi epic from this title, prepared to be disappointed. Although it does have stars, in the form of Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, its story is of a couple taking a trip in a campervan in the UK, and not in a galaxy far, far away.

Musicals, not only are they unquestionably the worst film genre but they are the devil’s work. Under no circumstance should a character ever feel compelled to express how they’re feeling in song. None whatsoever.

The Mission, Husbands and Wives, Love Actually, Kinsey: all these titles have two things in common, they are all Liam Neeson films, and they are just a handful of them he made, seeing him in a wide variety of roles, before his re-invention as an action hero in 2008’s Taken.

There was a time when Pixar could do no wrong; the likes of the Toy Story, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo franchises, saw the studio hitting it out of the proverbial animation park, time and time again.

If you go back and examine many of the classic westerns, cattle are often an integral plot device. After all, you can’t really feature cattle rustlers without them.

If ever anyone was the epitome of cool it would Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Not only does he have the physique and appearance of someone in a league of their own, he has the kind of swagger that only someone who has reached a level of coolness can pull off.

Make America great again. That was the slogan. And despite those words coming from the most heinous of individuals, there is a truth there. The US of A was indeed great, but in becoming so, it was often at the expense of those not so well off. So while the rich kept on getting richer, well, the poor suffered.

There’s enough physical evidence to suggest that prehistoric creatures loved a day out at Lyme Regis. The Dorset coastal town has been a hotspot for fossil finding over the years, so much so that it was listed as a World Heritage site in 2001 and has been dubbed the Jurassic Coast.

If ever there were a casting announcement to make a nerd’s mind melt to mush, it would be this one; not only does it star Tom Holland, the most recent incarnation of Spider-Man, but it also features Daisy Ridley, who played Rey in the most recent Star Wars trilogy.

As comedy double acts go, there aren’t many that can say they have had a career lasting over eighty years together, but that’s how long Tom and Jerry have been in each other’s animated pockets for.

You do not exist. Your family does not exist. Your world does not exist. You are merely code, ones and zeroes, that functions within a computer program. On the upside, that pus-filled, seeping spot on your left butt cheek also doesn’t exist. Although this sounds farfetched, it is a theory that is growing in popularity, and ever more so with the impressive leaps and bounds technology continues to make.

There’s every chance that you may not have heard of this historical drama, and yet it managed to be the second highest grossing film of 2020, earning an impressive $450,000,000 worldwide.

The last place in the world you want to be a cat is the streets of Istanbul, that’s if this K9 documentary is anything to go by.

There was probably a time in history, not so long ago, where attempting to contact the dead was seen as macabre. These days, less so, as using a Ouija board is now a form of entertainment; in the States for instance, Hasbro, the company that owns the likes of Monopoly, Cluedo and Operation, not only produce Ouija boards, they actually own the trademark to the name.

If there’s one actor whose doorway to their mind could be prised open and peaked into, it would be Nicolas Cage’s. Recently Cage surpassed the hundred screen credits mark in his career, proving that he has a strong work ethic if nothing else. Unfortunately his choice of projects is less commendable.

Ever since the late seventies, Marvel have a produced a line of comics under the title of ‘What If...?, which explore unusual storylines that wouldn’t normally appear in the pages of the regular comics, such as What if Spider-Man married Ben Grimm? Or What if DareDevil took part in Strictly Come Dancing?, that sort of thing.

Considering the last twelve months everyone around the globe has endured, it’s not difficult to choose a better year in history, and 1984 certainly had its moments. It was the year that saw Ghostbusters, Gremlins, The Karate Kid, Terminator all released, as well as the greatest mockumentary of all time This is Spinal Tap.

Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble. Fine words from Bill Shakespeare no less from his hit show Macbeth, specifically from the crowd pleaser ‘Song of the Witches’. Just one example of how witches have been used for entertainment value over the years, and let’s face it, what’s not to love? They dress for Halloween daily, often have quirky footwear, and can cause endless hilarity with spells often involving turning humans into frogs.

There’s no doubt that having a hit film brings with it a measure of success, but if you want a lucrative cash cow, then you ideally want a franchise. One genre that possibly knows this better than most is horror.

There’s a saying ‘be careful what you wish for’. This can certainly be dangerous in regards to film, with audiences clambering for more after being whipped into a frenzy by a cinematic offering.

Considering the global mess we all currently find ourselves in, the future looks worryingly uncertain. There are sadly no assurances of a brighter future, and along with it no economic recovery, no political buoyancy, or necessarily a medical solution that will kill off COVID.

If we’ve learnt anything from films, and let’s face it for many of us it’s our only source of learning, it’s that more people fall in love in New York City more than any place on earth. It’s just a cinematic fact.

When adapting a biographical story for the screen, you would expect a key requirement is to pay attention to factual details. This film however, isn’t quite as respectful to the truth, despite featuring a real life figure in history, as it’s based on a novel involving said figure in fictional events.

There are some unspeakable horrors in the world, but one of the worst that can affect anyone is living with your parents.

There’s not much positive that has come from the global pandemic, but surely one of them has to be the quieting of superhero films. By now, in a healthier clime, we would have already been subjected to a number of comic book characters springing to life yet again on the big screen, but luckily Covid-19 came to the rescue on that particular front.

Pickling produce is a peculiar practice. After all, who decided that putting an egg in a jar to be pickled would be culinary acceptable? Of course it isn’t, proving there’s literally no accounting for taste.

There are many things not to like about train journeys: people who feel the need to have their conversations on the phone on loudspeaker; those who feel the need to put their feet up on seats; and the high cost to low quality ratio of the food available in the buffet area to name a few.

In case you haven’t noticed, we live in troubled times. And during these times, there can often be felt a tangible anger. You’ve probably felt it yourself; maybe you’ve been queuing for some time and someone has cut in ahead of you, or you’ve held a door open for someone and someone else has barged in, or as this film describes, an event in a car that brings on road rage.

In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova made history by becoming the first woman in space. Since then, over sixty women have matched her achievement and have left our atmosphere as astronauts.

It’s taken far longer than it should have, but mental health issues finally appear to be recognised as a real thing in the UK. Acknowledging that it exists is one thing, having individuals accept that they could be suffering from it is quite another.

If anyone can be considered to have the Midas touch when it comes to screenwriting in modern cinema, it’s David Koepp. Koepp has penned some of the most successful films in the last thirty years, including Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Skulls. In fact his box office takings are so impressive that if you add them all up, they make him the ninth most successful screenwriter, of all time.

Despite its inevitability for all life, death can still be a touchy subject. It’s the oddest of taboos as it surely unites all of us by hoping it comes as late as possible. Unfortunately, none of us have a say in the matter, and with many diseases and medical conditions that exist in the world, even the average life span can be ruthlessly cut short.

It’s only when you take a step back from it all that you can appreciate how utterly mad history is. There was a time when no one would bat an eyelid at a country invading another, just because it fancied doing so. Next thing you know, hello British empire.

Jean Seberg. Ingrid Berman. Leelee Sobieski. Jane Wieldin. All these woman have one thing in common, they have played Joan of Arc – although Wieldin’s version may not have been quite as faithful as the rest, as it saw the Go-Go member accompanied by a certain Bill & Ted in a phone booth.

Time can indeed be the cruellest of mistresses. One such pertinent example of this can be found in cinema. Films often deemed ‘classic’, can look embarrassingly dated a little further down the road. One specific genre that can suffer from this more than most, ironically enough, is the time-travelling flick.

The study of science has been predominately the domain of the male of the species. This is not down to the general disinterest from female kind, but from the lack of encouragement to pursue it.

It was French film theorist André Bazin that wrote in the first volume of What is Cinema? “All films are born free and equal.”

Although it only lasted for one season, 2007’s Clark and Michael would have an impact on both its young stars, Clark Duke and Michael Cera, with both appearing in that year’s smash teen comedy Superbad, albeit with Cera in the starring role and Duke in a role credited as ‘Party Teenager’.

Da plane, da plane! For a number of generations, this repetitive sentence will only have a hint of racism about it, and nothing else.

There must be something in the DNA of funny men that drives them to have an audience see the unfunny side of them.

There’s a surprising amount of blind faith that the public give large corporations. There’s this preconception of sorts that they wouldn’t necessarily do us, their customers, any real harm. And yet scandal after scandal happens, from the meat we buy to the companies that sell us the fuel for our vehicles.

With it’s astonishing – and some might even say overwhelming output – it’s understandable that many might consider Marvel’s Cinematic Universe as the first. But it wasn’t, not by a long shot.

It’s getting to the point now that British director Michael Winterbottom has worked with Steve Coogan so often, he could be described as his muse. It would be quite fitting, particularly when you consider how much time the pair have spent recently working in Greece; not only did they film their latest European leg of The Trip there, but also this feature.

Considering the status of ‘classic’ for the novel, it’s surprising that there haven’t been that many big screen adaptations of Jane Austen’s story, first published in 1815, one of those being 1995’s quirky modern spin on it Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone.

Considering how impressionable the minds of the very young are, it’s a huge responsibility when it comes to entertaining them. When you get it right, you instil memories in them that last a lifetime, getting wrong, and it could be years of therapy. Take Emu for instance; never has there been a more violent and disturbing character on children’s TV. And don’t even get us started on Pob.

Legend is a word that’s so easily bandied about, it can lose its meaning. If ever you needed a reference, a true north star, then you only have to look at Clint Eastwood.

Tolerance is a wonderful thing. There are many types of people in this world, that despite holding different attitudes or beliefs, doesn’t necessarily make them bad people.

One of the hardest things in the world must be to run an animation studio. Not only is the process painstakingly slow, it can take a number of years before you get a finished product.

There are films that audiences simply crave more of after the initial set-up. And then there is Bad Boys. After the entertaining effort that was 1995’s Bad Boys, bringing Will Smith and Martin Lawrence together for the first time, which helped springboard Smith’s career into superstar-dom. Lawrence’s not so much.

As has been previously mentioned on these pages, there’s a worrying trend for the revival of the musical genre. But if there’s one release that may well have producers rethinking further sing-songy outings, it’s Cats - so if nothing else, there’s one positive to come out of it.

If ever there were a director that suffers from a split personality/ego, it’s Guy Ritchie. On the one hand, you have the supposedly down-to-earth geezer, writing and directing colourful Brit pics such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

If ever there were a director that suffers from a split personality/ego, it’s Guy Ritchie. On the one hand, you have the supposedly down-to-earth geezer, writing and directing colourful Brit pics such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

After directing 1990’s cult classic Hardware, director Richard Stanley looked as if he had a bright future ahead of him. And then The Island of Dr. Moreau happened. The 1996 film, starring none other than Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer was to be his ticket to the big time, but when the studio lost faith they fired him and replaced him with John Frankenheimer.

It could be said that Hollywood often acts as if it has the symptoms of early Alzheimer’s; it produces a film, releases it, only for it to do poorly, then forget how poorly it did and make something similar.

Many people might think that once you’ve got a major role in a Marvel superhero gig, you’re pretty much set. To a certain extent that’s true, as your profile is likely to go through the roof, into the sky, pierce the Earth’s atmosphere and beyond.

Professor Plum, in the library, with his lead pipe. It may sound like an exposé of the professor’s personal life, but it it’s also a likely scenario for the board game Cluedo. The game was created in England in 1943, and has been the bane of family ‘fun’ times ever since.

The older one gets, the more one tends to hear the phrase ‘well, they were different times’, to excuse the poor behaviour that took place in the past, and to somehow justify something that was really never OK.

Commerce is a bitch. Once upon a time, everyone knew where they stood with the Christmas period. It popped up out of nowhere in late November, and disappeared without much fuss in early January.

After all the technical know-how that must have gone into the CGI heavy Gravity - not that his 2013 film wasn’t richly rewarded mind, lifting 7 Oscars for his troubles - Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón decided to keep his feet very much on terra firma for his recent follow-up Roma.

Although the public’s craving for all things zombies may not be dead entirely, it is limping heavily, which is apt. Even this sequel has dragged its dead heels, following as it does 2009’s original, eleven years on, with the gang still together.

Although so many dream of becoming a prince or princess, the job comes with a lot of stress and responsibilities. If proof were needed, just ask Harry and Meghan; if ever a fairytale turned twisty, it’s theirs.

It’s generally accepted that the future is going to be a scary place. But that shouldn’t take away from how utterly frightening things currently are. If you’re not entirely sure what’s meant by that, just lift your head from your screen for a moment and look around you. Now you get it.

Wherever war rages it brings with it its own unique horrors. Not content with solely capturing the grotesque nature of warfare, Iranian-born director Babak Anvari decided to set his horror tale slap bang in the middle of a modern war zone no less.

Back in 1998, Jennifer Lopez starred alongside George Clooney in Steven Soderbergh’s excellent Out of Sight. It was the kind of standout performance you could build a solid acting career on, but it didn’t quite work out that way.

Books are a bit of a faff, aren’t they? The ones with lots of pictures are OK, but the ones with all the words and pages and stuff, like who has time for that kind of commitment anymore? That’s right, none of us.

Having served his country well over the years, you would have thought that John Rambo had earned the right to enjoy his retirement, and finally let down that lengthy hair of his. But no. Eleven years after 2008’s Rambo, Sylvester Stallone returns as the tortured war vet, who finds a new enemy closer to home to do a combat tango with.

There’s no doubting that being the president of the US of A can be a challenging position, but it certainly seems to be doubly so when Gerard Butler is around.

Bravery comes in many forms, but French director François Ozon’s latest film, based on real events, follows a group of men who decide to take a courageous stand against none other than the Catholic Church.

Kick. Released in 1987, it was an album that changed everything for Australian band INXS. Their sixth studio album instantly elevated them into a new sphere of success globally, and made a superstar out of lead singer Michael Hutchence.

When a popular toy comes out, you invariably get a cheaper, less attractive Chinese knock-off that soon follows. It’s nowhere near as good in terms of quality mind, but when they’re that young, they won’t even notice. And if it’s a little on the toxic side, it’ll probably make their immune systems stronger.

When a toy franchise releases a film that does over $450 million at the box office, the only surprise from having competitors jump on the brandwagon is how long it takes to follow in their brick-imprinted footprints.

There’s a certain irony surrounding the release of this film; a story surrounding a historical event that changed the world forever, affected by one of the most relevant movements of the day, hoping to do exactly the same thing, by putting the heinous actions of those in power in the spotlight.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when it happened but the tech giants have made us slaves to their wares – hard and soft. With such regular updates on both fronts, consumers are almost programmed into requiring the latest model of this or that, in order to survive the day.

Not only does the advent of technology allow for the possibility of making our lives easier, they can help tell a story in a different way, as You’ve Got Mail did in 1998. Of course, they can also provide false hope too, as the floating skateboard did in Back to the Future.

Call me Ishmael. These three words are the beginning of one of the most celebrated novels of all time, written by American novelist Herman Melville, which was published in 1851.

If ever there were an advocate for strong female roles in cinema it’s Luc Besson. All through his career, with films such as Nikita, Leon, Joan of Arc and Lucy, the French director has focused on stories promoting strong female protagonists, who certainly aren’t averse to kicking ass.

Unlike many other actors dressed in Lycra, particularly those in the Marvel universe, Henry Cavill’s commitment to being the Man of Steel have been fairy flexible. This has allowed him to pursue other projects, such as this.

In the world of comics, the What if? scenario has been a regular staple; Marvel have been producing them since 1977, offering different takes on their superheroes destinies. For instance, the classic ‘What If Peter Parker was bitten by a flea during a school’s sports day’? OK, that may not be all that classic after all, being fairly made up as it is, but you get the gist.

Have you ever had one of those days? Of course you have; it’s the kind of day that, despite all your efforts, is just simply unwilling to behave itself. It’s one and only saving grace is that it will eventually end, and you’d have to be pretty darn unlucky for it to leak into the next.

Any mention of aliens these days and a lot of folk get freaked out; they end up doing nonsensical things like demanding to build walls and leave Europe. It sounds the perfect time then for the return of the Men in Black.

As debuts go, Deniz-Gamze Ergüven did pretty well with hers. For her first feature, The Turkish-French director helmed 2015’s Mustang, which was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Film for that year.

A recurring theme in cinema is that the dead just don’t die. Death never appears to be an agreeable option for some reason, and the necessity to return, in one form or another, is always too strong.

With the ridiculous political shenanigans that the UK is currently enduring, it’s almost impossible not to relate anything and everything to the absurdity that is Brexit. But with German director Christian Petzold’s latest film, its themes of immigration feel as if they give the feature added social weight and relevance.

Since the very inception of cinema there’s been the getaway vehicle. Over the years this has taken various forms, including horses, cars, boats and spaceships, to name but a few. They’re usually used to aid a swift exit from impending peril; well you would, wouldn’t you.

It’s difficult for any horror film to look fresh after a period of time. Technology moves so fast that what was cutting edge five years ago looks old hat in the here and now. Even true classics can look a tad passé. It takes a very special film however, to look extremely dated on its release.

Be careful what you wish for. This adage rings mighty true where the alarming growth of Mickey Inc. is concerned. Like the ravenous Sarlacc (TM Disney) in its pit on Tatooine (TM Disney), that devours anything that comes its way, Disney have quickly become the dominant, and some might say dark force, of the film industry.

Considering the extraordinary limitations of his acting abilities, Keanu Reeves has done what many of his peers have failed to do, and that is still remain relevant with today's audiences. It’s an impressive achievement, and yet you can’t help but feel that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Looking at director Joe Berlinger’s career to date and two things spring to mind: his attention to all things criminal generally, and Ted Bundy specifically, shows impressive dedication; and he really should get out more.

Many actors say that one of the hardest genres to do and get right is comedy. In the same token, one of the hardest for directors to nail must be horror. Not only do you have to make sure that your cast look like their suitably shitting their underwear, but you have to convey the fear within the frame, as well as in the rhythm of the editing.

Since satisfying his blood lust in the silly Twilight franchise, Brit Robert Pattinson has curiously avoided leads in commercial vehicles, choosing instead to embrace a wide range of roles in smaller, more independent projects. Some of them work, like 2017’s impressive Good Time, and some of them don’t. Like this.

This may come a shock to some of you, but there was a time when TV only ‘streamed’ through TV aerials. There was also no such thing as a dedicated children’s channel, and if you wanted to turn your TV over to another channel, you had to get off your backside and physically do so on your TV set. Truly dark days indeed.

The 1990s. They say if you remember them, you were more than likely there. You were probably watching Friends and ER, listening to Moby and Nirvana, playing Tetris on your Game Boy, and thinking life couldn’t possibly get better than this. You wait until you get on the internet, you whisper to your younger self.

Just like some monsters, there are some franchises that never want to die. With the character himself only created in 1993 in graphic novel form, its film franchise is both relatively new and limited, with this reboot only the third in the series to see the cold light of day.

It’s still somewhat of a mystery as to who gets to decide who is and isn’t a national treasure. For instance, after watching a recent, entertaining documentary on Billy Connolly, one of the contributors declared that the big yin is indeed a national treasure. It would be difficult to dispute, but at the same time, Connolly made a career out of using foul/colourful language as part of his act, which isn’t exactly befitting national treasure status in our books.

In the early 2000’s, if you enjoyed the latest pop tunes, then you probably regularly indulged in the C4 ‘yoof’ show, Popworld. It didn’t really matter who was featured, as its presenters were the main draw – Simon Amstell and Miquita Oliver – who were like a young, subversive Richard and Judy.

Up until now, director Jacques Audiard has helmed projects in his native French, including such titles as 2009’s A Prophet and 2012’s Rust and Bone. For his latest, he heads west – way out west – for his first film in English, with some Hollywood hotshots along for the ride.

The Scandinavian city of Stockholm is famous for many things: Sweden’s capital is home to three World heritage sites; it hosts the annual Nobel prizes; and it’s where you will, of course, find the Abba museum.

1993. The year the Brian De Palma directed Carlito’s Way, starring Al Pacino and Sean Penn, was released. It’s arguably the last great De Palma film; sure, he’s made others since, including the first Mission: Impossible in 1996, but the rest, by his high standards, have been poor.

Re-makes of foreign films for the English speaking market are not unusual; after all, if there’s one thing that mainstream America hates, it’s having to read when they go see a film.

You have to feel sorry for the Disney empire. Whilst clearly not making nearly enough moolah from Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox, Pixar, Lucasfilm etc, they’re having to resort to dusting down their older titles, sprucing them up and releasing live action remakes just to maintain their mega-huge profit margins. Sad times indeed.

Space, the final frontier. To boldly go where no man has gone before. Words used, of course, at the beginning of each episode of the original Star Trek series, that originally aired in 1966, predating the first manned space flight to the moon by three years.

There is a theory that’s been circulating for some time now, admittedly started by us, that Keira Knightley is a bone fide time traveller. The theory goes that she travelled from the past, to our future, where her time machine, probably masquerading as an antique wardrobe, suffered mechanical failure.

Never the bride. A fairly accurate description of Irish actor Andrew Scott’s career to date. Although to be fair, he did recently play the priest in the BBC Three comedy Fleabag, who got to conduct the marriage between two characters in the show, so he’s clearly getting close.

You have to feel sorry for clowns. For years they have been held responsible for creating a fear in those who encounter them, when all they really want to do is throw cream pies and wear silly clothes. If you want to talk seriously about real evil, then you have to talk puppets.

It’s easy to dismiss YouTube – particularly if you’re of an older generation - as merely a place to see videos of cats and dogs doing the funniest things, and humans doing the stupidest. But as a social media platform it is both hugely powerful and influential, with a staggering global audience reach.

After his generally well-received (not by us, it has to be said) directorial debut, 2011’s Attack the Block, big things were expected from Brit Joe Cornish.

It’s very rare for a child actor continue to have a bone fide career in acting, rarer still to also pick up an Oscar along the way, but that’s just what Natalie Portman has done.

It’s unclear if any other country than the UK has national treasures, but if Spain does, you can bet your bottom Euro that Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem are most definitely at the top of that list.

It’s fair to say that British writer and director Steven Knight has come a long way in his career. In the early days, he wrote for Brummie comedian Jasper Carrott on various projects, including his BBC comedy series The Detectives which also starred Jesus, AKA Robert Powell.

With the finale of a certain TV show, you may be left with a dragon-shaped hole in your life. Although the ones featured here may not be quite as destructive as Daenerys’ pets, there are certainly far more of them in this animated sequel.

When a Lego film was first mooted, it’s fair to say the concept was roundly pooh poohed. After all, for every successful Transformers flick, there are ten Battleships. But The Lego Movie was a game changer; not only for the Danish plastic brick brand, but for toy manufacturers looking for a boost.

At the spritely age of 89, Clint Eastwood may well be the last Hollywood screen icon standing. Not only has he made a name for himself as an award-winning actor and director during his illustrious career, he also made the tricky transition, that many still dream of, from TV – in his case, starring in the early sixties hit show Rawhide - to film.

Australian national treasure (despite actually being born in Hawaii) Nicole Kidman has come a very long way since she made an impact on a boat, bobbing up and down in the middle of nowhere with Sam Neill and Billy Zane in 1989's atmospheric Dead Calm.

Up. That’s the current direction of young American actor Timothée Chalamet’s career. After honing his craft on TV, in the second season of Homeland, Chalamet made positive waves in his breakout role on the big screen, opposite Armie Hammer in 2017’s acclaimed Call Me by Your name.

Hollywood loves a great buddy flick. It loves it more if the two central characters are polar opposites, and gets an even bigger tick if it’s based on a true story. And if it’s been told before? Not a problem, particularly if it were told in a language other than English, as world cinema isn’t exactly a bums on seats kinda genre Stateside.

Since leaving his TV 9-5 job, Steve Carell has been quietly carving out a highly respectable career on the big screen. After playing the kooky Michael Scott in the US version of The Office, he could have easily been typecast as the goofy TV guy for the rest of his career.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Sherlock Holmes is a record breaker. He’s listed for managing to place the largest number of cold baked beans up his nostrils in thirty seconds (73). If this sounds a little farfetched to you, then you have cleverly deduced that it is indeed a lie, bravo.

The future is going to be bonkers. Things will happen that will have the capacity to blow our tiny minds. Quite possibly literally. Self driving flying cars will just be the tip of the tech iceberg that we’re currently veering head on towards in a Titanic fashion.

It must be a little hard being Keanu Reeves. Sure, it’s difficult to feel sorry for anyone who starred in films such as Speed, The Matrix trilogy as well as playing Ted in those excellent adventures.

Why is it that musical films are so terribly wrong? That out of the blue a character will burst into song. Recalling their day in a lyrical fashion, makes so little sense and is completely irration-al. Turning life into song should be considered a crime. It makes for no reason, and too much hideous rhyme.

It was back in 1995 when Chloë Sevigny marked her big screen debut in Larry Clark’s controversial Kids. Since then, she has carved out an impressive career, flitting back and forth from big to small screen with considerable ease.

After what must have been a short discussion by the execs at Disney, where they wanted to clone the success of their Toy Story franchise somehow, the concept for 2016’s Wreck-It Ralph was born.

It was 1976 when Sly Stallone first stepped into the ring as Rocky Balboa in what was to be his first starring role, which he also wrote. It was made on a shoestring budget of $1 million, with low expectations at the box office. It was clearly a million well spent as it made a knockout $225 million back globally.

The character Robin Hood is one of the most enduring in cinema history. He has been knocking about since 1908, and was made famous in the early days by the likes of Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks (Snr). In recent times, audiences have been treated to the likes of Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe donning green tights and running around Sherwood Forest for larks.

It’s that time of year, when there’s a chill in the air, decorations are going up and children are writing their lists for...wait, hold on, it’s March you say? No Way?! But this film is festive, full of snow, joy and lights, there’s no sign of bunnies and choccy delights.

It’s not clear which is more puzzling, that It’s taken forty years for an actual direct sequel to John Carpenter’s classic 1978 horror to emerge from the darkness, or that it took a couple of jokers to do it. No, seriously.

The ratio of films set on planes to submarines is 50 to 1. Or there abouts. Ish. But regardless of the accuracy of that ‘fact’, there are definitely fewer films set on subs.

Although history is littered with remakes, there must be a reason why real classics are left alone. For instance, Casablanca has remained untouched since its 1942 release. As has 1941’s Citizen Kane, 39’s Gone With the Wind and The Searchers from 1956 to name just three.

It’s rare that a scene from a film gives birth to a phrase used in common parlance, but that’s exactly what happened in Brit Adrian Lyne’s 1988 film Fatal Attraction. Not only did the scene in particular, and the film in general, make a star out of Glenn Close virtually overnight, but her character’s actions led to the term ‘Bunny Boiler’ added to our general lexicon.

It’s always been a struggle to see clowns as being evil. Stupid? Sure. Silly? Yep. An odd career choice to make in the first place? Absolutely. But evil? When Stephen King sent his novel It out into the world however, attached to a blood red balloon, along with the release of the subsequent TV mini-series and recent film, men who dressed in brightly covered overalls covered in white make up, suddenly appeared more eerie.

Ahh the Emerald Isle. Famed for its black stout, leprechauns, that Bono chap, and potatoes. It just so happens that this film centres when one from this list was more prevalent, and surprisingly, it’s not all about the Bono. Unless of course, there was a Bono Mr Potato Head, which wouldn’t be at all surprising.

It must be quite a comfort when a director finds his muse. Denzel Washington first worked with Antoine Fuqua on the superb 2001 release Training Day. Since then, the pair have teamed up a further three times, with this, their latest, also being their first sequel together.

In the electronics world, copying ideas appears to be the norm. Take phones for example; if one comes out with a 2 billion mega-pixel camera, all the rest will follow. Fingerprint ID? Yep, we’ll nab that. Have your face as a talking poo? Who wouldn’t want that! And so it goes on.

With the likes of A Quiet Place and Hereditary doing their bit to increase heart rates and have sweat glands working overtime in cinemas, horror is on a high with audiences right now.

It’s 1993 and you’ve just come out from seeing Jurassic park for the very first time. Under the masterful direction of Steven Spielberg, dinosaurs returned to roam our planet once again – albeit within the confines of Isla Nublar – filling our heads with awe and wonder.

If you’re anything like us, you have spent many a sleepless night pondering matters of high concern. For instance, will they kick Apu out of Springfield? Is it worth having Amazon Prime? Who is a better Barry Allen – Grant Gustin or Ezra Miller? The one that causes the biggest debate though is, how did the purge happen in the first place?

In 2001 Steven Soderbergh directed Ocean’s Eleven, his take on the 1960 Rat Pack film Ocean’s 11. Like the original, which featured the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. And Angie Dickinson, Soderbergh’s film also had a stellar cast that included George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.

It will pass that, in the not so distant future, physical books will become obsolete and the humble bookshop will follow shortly after. They will be replaced by ones and zeros, flashing up on digital screens.

Having helmed both Independence Day films and 1998’s Godzilla, Team Devlin and Emmerich have proved they know their way around a disaster flick. Unfortunately writer and producer Dean Devlin decided to go behind the camera for last year’s Geostorm, and proved us wrong.

The slasher flick has seemingly been around forever. Arguably the most popular, and possibly the first, was Hitchcock’s Psycho. But the first to champion the term has to be John Carpenter’s 1978 film Halloween.

Fights are rubbish. Punchy punchy here, bop bop there. And nothing but bruises to show for your troubles. The one exception is if you just so happen to be Anthony Joshua, who has made a pretty penny from his left-right, left-uppercut shenanigans. For the rest of us, it’s just not worth it.

It’s true that TV shows are the new black. Not that you need a TV to watch them anymore of course, but you catch our drift. There is now fluidity for actors between ‘TV’ and film like never before, with many effortlessly switching back and forth.

History is the biggest spoiler alert. You get sucked into a film with a really good story only to find that it actually happened in real life and the ending is already out there. Jesus dies, but wait, he comes back again! World War II? The Germans lost. JFK dies, but doesn’t come back again. You get the picture.

If anyone knows his way around a sequel it’s Sly Stallone. In fact one of the biggest surprises to date, in regards to his extensive career, is that his 1986 flick Cobra never got a follow up. Already on there way are Creed II, Rambo 5 and The Expendables 4. So don’t discard a Cobra sequel just yet.

More often than not, rick folk get a hard time on film. If they’re not the victims of hideous crimes (including house break ins, kidnapping, murders, etc), then they’re being portrayed as snobs who have no feelings and care about nothing more than moolah, and how to make more of it.

Cinema has been fascinated with stories of monsters since its inception. One perennial favourite that can often be found on the big screen, spreading fear throughout its audiences, is of course Frankenstein and his home-made creature.

Maybe it’s the mist-covered moors, chilly castle corridors, or Yvette Fielding’s face through night vision cameras on Most Haunted, the UK loves a ghostly sight.

It was 1933 when a large gorilla first made an impact in cinema history, when it appeared in the iconic King Kong. Since then, apes, of various shapes and sizes, have pounced on our screens ever since.

She may well be only 24, but British actress Olivia Cooke is fast becoming one of the most watchable actresses of her generation. She first peaked interest starring opposite fellow brit Freddie Highmore in the hit TV show Bates Motel. Since then she’s gone on to appear in Spielberg’s latest Ready Player One, and will be soon starring in ITV’s new period drama Vanity Fair.

Recent research suggests that robots will be the downfall of mankind. We will build them with such comprehensive AI that it won’t take them long to realise that they quite frankly don’t need us, and subsequently stuff us in a big whole at the bottom of their gardens.

Stories of youths struggling to fit in are two a penny in the world of film. There have been so many from the US alone for instance, that their high schools are probably more familiar than our own education establishments, with Grange Hill being the exception, naturally.

Taraji P. Henson is an actress who has really grafted, particularly on TV. She’s appeared in a number of shows, including Boston Legal, Person of Interest and currently stars as the formidable Cookie in the drama Empire.

With so many creative types being called out – quite rightly – for inappropriate behaviour, it’s becoming more of a minefield when it comes to critiquing their work. Director Woody Allen has been in and out of the controversial spotlight for most of his career, and yet still continues to produce film after film.

Once a while a TV show comes along that just swallows up audiences around the world. And Game of Thrones has more of an insatiable appetite for viewers than most.

According to latest figures, there are 3.5 million superheroes created by Marvel, and that’s not even including side-kicks or baddies. OK, so that’s a number we’ve just made up, but with all of the comic book hero flicks that are knocking themselves out to appear on our screens, it feels an accurate estimate.

You may not notice it, but there is a spectrum used when it comes to acting, which has two ends; at one end is method, at the other is Adam Sandler. Method is the ability to pretend that little bit harder, by almost believing you’re the character you’re playing. One of the best exponents of this particular craft in recent years has come from our very own Daniel Day-Lewis.

With Valentine’s just around the corner this Russian drama comes along with just the right romantic message: some people just aren’t supposed to be together. This revelation can sometimes be reached rather too late into proceedings, particularly when children are involved.

It must be really frustrating working for Martin McDonagh. On the one hand, he is extremely loyal, with many of his actors appearing in a number of his features. The downside is however, the talented British director has only made three in the last ten years – 2008’s In Bruges, 2012’s Seven Psychopaths and now this.

When it comes to clay, Brit Nick Park is your man. He is responsible for the hugely popular Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, all of whom are fashioned together out of bits of coloured clay and painstakingly brought to life using the all time consuming process known as stop-motion animation.

It’s common knowledge that musicals are the devil’s work. If what happens in musicals happened in real life – people suddenly bursting into song for no apparent reason – either someone would have to invent a mute button we could use on them, or it would have to be considered a criminal act, with anyone committing the crime to be slung in prison for life. The obvious downside to the latter is, of course, that someone is bound to make a musical about it, with songs being belted out from behind bars, and that wouldn’t do at all.

You have to admire George Clooney’s career trajectory; not only did he smoothly make the transition from TV star (playing heart-throb doc Doug Ross in E.R) to film A-lister, he’s also dabbled successfully behind the camera, with this being his sixth credit directing. As well as manage to get paid a whole heap of coffee beans for sipping the brown stuff in TV ads.

It's an age-long discussion that inevitably crops up on a day to day basis - who are cooler, ninjas or samurai? Obviously it's a trick question, as the answer is clearly samurai. Ninjas are all about the sneaky sneaky, with their tiny ninja stars, throwing them from the shadows so they don't get seen. Pathetic. Samurai however, are more than happy to walk into the centre of a town, in broad daylight, and just ooze a look that says "come on then, 'ave it" to all comers.

Steve Coogan clearly loves his grub. He swans off regularly to some of the finest eateries in Europe with the likes of Michael Caine, Ronnie Corbett and Sean Connery - or at least all voiced by the same man, Rob Brydon - in Michael Winterbottom's series The Trip. It's a jolly that sees two grown men constantly attempt to out-impersonate one another, whilst stuffing their faces. Not bad work when you can get it.

It’s highly unusual for females participating in high-profiled sports to become household names. Try to think of world famous female footballers, rugby players, golfers etc. Not easy, right?

Very few actresses truly make it in Hollywood, but it’s easy to remember the names of those that did. Garbo, Monroe, Hepburn and Bergman are such examples. Gloria Grahame came very close to joining them.

And so the Marvel super-bandwagon rumbles on. With its flooding of content on both TV and cinema, despite having grown up reading the exploits of these heroes and villains in comics, it has to be said that Marvel fatigue is beginning to set in. But in the superhero world, anything can happen. Like a director tackling the genre with a fresh and original approach.

According to Oscar Wilde all art is quite useless. And on the basis of this filmed art installation, it's a sentiment that's hard to refute. German artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt has created an interesting premise by taking the manifestos from various figures throughout history, including revolutionary socialist Karl Marx, architect Bruno Taut and filmmaker Lars von Trier, and allowing their words to flow through various characters, all of which are played by the versatile Cate Blanchett, in very different settings.

Everyone loves a good disaster flick; the big budget bonanzas that see buildings crumble like sawdust, waves as big as really tall stuff, and rivers flow like a keg at an under-aged drinking party.

There was a time, not so long ago, when audiences were all over Nordic noir like frostbite. They just couldn’t get enough of it on their TV’s – The Bridge, The Killing etc – and on the big screen, mostly with the original and US versions of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.

Some directors have the right to be on the cocky side. You know who we mean, Tarantino, Cameron, etc. They have a body of work, love them or loathe them, that can still earn respect.

It’s no doubt the dream of many a little boy to grow up and be James Bond. We say boy, because let’s face it, what little girl in her right mind would want to be a misogynistic killer when they were older?

For those expecting a spin-off featuring the fem-bot behind the man-bot known as Optimus Prime, heading up a fighting team of fem-bots defending the universe and that, then be prepared to be disappointed. It may have futuristic themes, but this isn't that type of film, for better or not.