“The book is better than the movie” is an old truism: but is it always true? Mostly, yes. The added bonus of books is the freedom of the reader to interpret, and the freedom of the author to add layers of complexity and nuance that cinema simply can’t encompass.
It’s one of the most beloved stories in the mythology of the modern American left: the night a Native American princess appeared at the 1973 Academy Awards to decline the Best Actor Oscar on behalf of Marlon Brando. The only problem is: “Native American princess” was a myth. A
When Martin Sheen immediately followed his acclaimed performance in Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece, Apocalypse Now, with the, uh, slightly “lesser” The Final Countdown, eyebrows were raised. In response, Sheen shrugged and admitted that even he had to pay the rent somehow. Sheen is far from the only A-list
His name is James, James Cameron, the bravest pioneer… but surely, in the 13 years he’s been buggerising around in submersibles and making yet another yawn-inducing spectacle about the creepiest blue cat-people this side of MidFur, James Cameron could have found the time to bring one of his best,
Rebecca Wynne-Walsh Lecturer in Film, English and Creative Arts Edge Hill University Horror cinema in the 21st century is moving beyond the uncanny children of The Omen (1976), The Exorcist (1973) or The Bad Seed (1956). Instead, contemporary horror fare is presenting audiences with uncanny copies of children – companions who
Holocaust movies are a Hollywood staple: as Kate Winslet’s character in Extras cynically observes, a Holocaust movie is guaranteed Oscar-bait. Still, it’s hardly surprising that a crime against humanity of such enormity should so exercise the imaginations of film-makers. With so many of the post-War Jewish diaspora landing
Aaron Tao fee.org Aaron Tao is an entrepreneur and technology professional working in Austin, Texas. He holds an M.S. from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University. His other writings have been published by
Jane Barnwell University of Westminster Christmas movies are so often linked to classic themes of redemption and rediscovery of innocence. Old favourites such as Home Alone, Love Actually, The Wizard of Oz, It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Holiday and Elf reappear on our screens in
Ben McCann University of Adelaide In November 1942, a romantic drama directed by a Hungarian immigrant and starring an ex-naval officer and an obscure Swedish actress was released. The film began shooting without a finished script. Many at Warner Brothers Studios thought the film would quickly disappear into obscurity. It
Andrea Wright Senior Lecturer in Teaching and Learning Development Edge Hill University “Cult” is often indiscriminately applied to film and television. In Cult Movies (1981), film critic Danny Peary argued that it should be reserved for “special films which for one reason or another have been taken to heart by
Michael Cook Michael Cook is the editor of MercatorNet. He lives in Sydney, Australia. We’ve selected a dozen of the year’s releases for our readers. Not all of them are Oscar material, but they combine artistry, engagement and reasonably humane values which put them a cut above the
Alistair Harding Filmmaker wecamehereforfreedom.com My name is Alistair Harding and I am a New Zealand filmmaker who was at the parliament protests earlier this year. While I was there, I spent my time filming what was going on with the goal to make a documentary film about the extraordinary
If you were making a movie or TV series based on a venerable, beloved franchise with a fiercely dedicated, generational fan base, would you prefer: A. Someone who was intimately familiar with the source material and loved it; or, B. Someone who was ignorant of the source material and didn’
Vanessa Marr University of Brighton Vanessa Marr is Principal Lecturer at University of Brighton where she is a researcher and course leader. She is also practicing artist and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She explores fairy tales from a feminist perspective, with a particular interest in their
There are some movies that everyone agrees should just remain unsullied by sequels, let alone remakes. Especially in what Quentin Tarantino has rightly dubbed the worst era of film-making ever. News that, for instance, The Princess Bride was mooted for a remake was met with instant, uniform backlash. Robert Zemeckis
