Eoin O’Leary writes about the acting work of the late great Diana Rigg.
James Bond
Grand Prix – Cars in Cinema
Joshua Hull examines the continuing appeal of the automobile film.
Regeneration
There was something undeniably joyous in hearing Jodie Whittaker, newly regenerated from the wiry frame and broad Scottish accent of Peter Capaldi (Doctor the Twelfth), suddenly exclaim ‘Oh, brilliant!’ in her own thick, West Yorkshire dialect. Aside from giving me pleasant flashbacks to hearing Christopher Eccleston bounding around the TARDIS in years gone by, finally […]
A look at the Bond parody
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and nowhere else is that more true than Hollywood. Be it through attempting to capitalise on another’s success (DC’s Justice League in answer to Marvel’s Avengers series) or just sheer bad luck (the incredibly specific ‘animated ant colony’ 1998 duo A Bug’s Life and Antz), […]
Album Review: Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All
Four Grammys, three years and two BRIT awards after his debut, In the Lonely Hour, Sam Smith has triumphantly returned with his highly anticipated sophomore record, The Thrill of It All, which has topped the UK and US charts just a week after its release. As disclosed in his New York Times interview, Smith is […]
Power and problems in parody
Almost since the dawn of celluloid, parody films have been an integral part of the cinema-going experience. It was over fifty years ago that the Carry On franchise was at the peak of its power, while more recent years have inflicted upon us the notorious Scary Movie series, and its similarly unfunny cousins Disaster Movie, […]
Sequel fever: Are we sick of it?
When perusing through the list of upcoming Marvel films, it’s difficult not to feel deeply depressed. Stretching into what feels like the next millennium, there are sequels, reboots, and re-adaptations of stories and heroes we’ve seen before. These colourful, computerised concoctions are churned out every few months, while a horde of masochistic fans swallow up […]
The worst of the worst: Spectre
One of the greatest film letdowns of 2015 has undoubtedly been Spectre, a film so riddled with plot-holes, cliches and nostalgic throwbacks to the 60s Bond films, that it makes the Austin Powers films look like cinematic masterpieces. While Sam Mendes could have taken the chance to create something genuinely innovative and interesting, making a […]
Is James Bond outdated?
He is, undoubtedly, one of the most iconic characters in the entirety of English literature: the epitome of patriotic, debonair sophistication who has since spawned the third highest-grossing film series, over 30 re-worked novelizations and an introductory line which has become a cultural phenomenon within itself. Indeed, judging from the success of the most recent […]
License to thrill: Spectre
At first glance, Spectre is a film that appears to herald the return of the classic James Bond adventure; not least because of the eponymous organisation that was the bane of Sean Connery’s Bond fifty years ago, but there are also the improbable villains, elaborate set-pieces, and a somewhat juvenile sense of humour. However, beneath […]