Frankenstein was released on 21 November 1931 in the USA. It wasn’t the first adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel since a silent version was released in 1910. Yet James Whale’s black-and-white version reversed the ailing fortunes of Universal and kickstart a wave of horror production. It also turned its Monster, played by Boris Karloff, into […]
film
Bone Tomahawk – horror or Western?
With the success of The Hateful Eight and The Revenant, it was good to see Bone Tomahawk finally make its way onto UK screens, even if I had to go to my local independent cinema to see it. It was described to me as a weird Western, although I’d disagree with that designation. Weird Westerns generally involve an air of the […]
Is The Hateful Eight a Tarantino Triumph?
It’s taken a while for The Hateful Eight to see its UK release, compared to the US release, but by God, it’s definitely been worth the wait! After the relative disappointment that was Django Unchained (for me, at least), I was half-hesitant and half-excited to see Tarantino do another Western, but thankfully I was not let down. […]
Did the Krampus movie disappoint?
I went to see Krampus on Saturday, and I’m pleased to say I wasn’t disappointed! I wrote last week about his origins, and the film sticks to them in as many ways as it can, although it does move the events to Christmas Eve, instead of Krampusnacht (5 December). I’m actually quite surprised that a film […]
Good Sci Fi Gets At The Truth
I had a rather sci-fi themed weekend, going to see Blade Runner: The Final Cut and Metropolis on Friday and Saturday respectively. They’re a pair of films that work exceptionally well as a double bill, exploring the representation of the future, the infiltration of humanity by robotic technology, and of the city. On the surface, […]
How much has cinema changed since 1914?
I’ve been a lover of cinema for as long as I can remember – as artform, vehicle for documentary and purveyor of entertainment, it’s certainly a versatile medium, and one that does, and should, go beyond the confines of CGI and big star names. So when I saw that my local independent cinema, the Tyneside, was showing A […]
