Can we all agree that found footage is dead? Like, as dead as the ghosts that found footage movies are always trying to film? There’s no way you can legitimately get away way making one these days with a straight face. If ever there was a genre that has been done to death, this is it. Like any movie gimmick or innovative new angle, it’s been used, abused and bastardised.
There are lots of things you can do with Bill Murray if you’re lucky enough to have him appear in your movie. One of the most rewarding, as Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson have found out, is to place him in the midst of a real feel-good story. St.Vincent, the impressive feature debut from writer/director Theodore Melfi taps into this morish Murray quality with ease and provides one of the most rewarding performances of 2014.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. All those markets, movies and songs are a right give away.
We’re spoilt for choice these days. For Christmas lovers there are festive films galore and even for those who are a bit more Scrooge than Santa, there are Christmas films in disguise; Die Hard, Gremlins, Batman Returns, Trading Places…that warm fuzzy feeling sure is hard to avoid.
But there’s more still. What about Christmas films that have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas but for some strange reason we still associate with fairy lights and a half empty box of Quality Street? It’s a weird one but Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without…
Living with your friends is never easy. Flatmates never pull their weight; they don’t tidy and it’s such a pain in the neck when they bring victims home, get blood stains everywhere and then refuse to clean up the mess. Well, maybe that last one is a little niché but it’s certainly accurate of ace Kiwi-comedy What We Do In The Shadows. The new horror mockumentary from Flight of the Conchords’ man Jemaine Clement and his Eagle Vs Shark collaborator buddy Taika Waititi takes a hilariously kitchen-sink look at the day-to-day (or should that be night-to-night?) mundanity of undead Vampire life.
Robin Williams was one of those actors that you kind of took for granted. He may not have been majorly in the public eye during recent years but there was a certain amount of comfort in the thought that he was quietly kicking about somewhere, doing his thing and making people laugh. A lot has been said during the past few hours as those who had worked with him pay their heartfelt respect but they are few compared to the number of fans he leaves behind. We’ve already heard from those who have lost a friend, a colleague, someone they knew – which makes it all the more strange for us: the fans; the people who felt like we knew him purely due to the impact and longevity of his work. It’s a bizarre and almost irrational thing – to develop an emotional response over the death of someone who you’ve never even met, and yet you only need take one look at Twitter today to see how many people are sharing the same feeling.
That Rhys Darby. He’s a funny bloke, aye.
His stuff in Short Poppies and Flight of the Conchords was hilarious, aye?
And his new one, What We Do In The Shadows…That looks great, ayyye!?
Confused. Me to. The phrase ‘aye’ is huge in New Zealand. Chances are you heard it banded around every few minutes during Flight of the Conchords by its comically gifted Kiwi cast but exactly how and when should it be used in everyday conversation?
A few weeks ago I caught up with Rhys Darby (AKA Conchords manager Murray Hewitt) for a quick chat ahead of his current UK stand-up tour. Before our interview came to an end, I thought it’d be a crime to pass up the chance to get a first-hand tutorial from the ‘Aye’-master himself. What follows is a dissection of the phrase and a detailed explanation of how you can incorporate it into your day-to-day life.
That’s good, aye.
2014 marks the 30 year anniversary of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, one of the most controversial sequels in geek culture. Immediate reaction to this dark prequel wasn’t kind. After all, it sees our fedora wearing hero flung into the depths of occult madness and child slavery. No easy sell. Story man George Lucas was to blame for the film’s divisive tone, hoping to utilize the same brooding uncertainty that made The Empire Strikes Back so popular to Indy’s advantage. Fans didn’t really agree and a few years later even director Steven Spielberg admitted it was a risky move and one he wasn’t quite sure paid off.
Time has a way of providing perspective though and with two more Indiana Jones sequels available to fans (one golden, one made of questionable crystal), Temple of Doom feels deservant of a second look. Here’s 14 reasons why Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is the one of the most underrated follow ups of all time…
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Reboots divide audiences. Some people like them, most people hate them. Here, I’ll explain how to reboot a classic movie in the most annoying way possible. That way, if the President of Hollywood just so happens to stumble upon this feature, he or she will find a handy guide of what NOT to do. Then they’ll ignore it and do it anyway. First up, JAWS.
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Philomena is the sobering tale of one mother’s quest for closure and the cold brutality of religion. In alternative hands, its rich, real-life subject matter would have no doubt made for a compelling documentary, complete with unexpected twists, turns and plenty of tears. Instead, Philomena Lee’s story is presented to us through the filter of comedian Steve Coogan, whose ability to coerce droplets of delicious dry humour out of this most shocking of stories is a welcome relief. It’s Coogan’s screenplay – and Stephen Frears’ warm directing skills – which transform this story from a heartbreaking drama into something funny, thought provoking and oddly heartwarming.
Ron Howard’s Rush draw you in faster than one of its finely tuned Formula One racecars. The movie’s ability to keep you on tenterhooks in spite of its arguably niché subject matter is admirable to say the least. However, in terms of captivating real-life dramas, Howard and his cast couldn’t be working with a juicier tale. This is a dark re-imagining of the classic rabbit and hare parable made all the more tense by its reality-based stakes. With glory or failure and life or death hanging in the balance, this fast paced duel-biopic is enough to get even the most flat tyred racing fan revved up.
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