The search for truth on an astronomical scale, James Gray's space epic is a thought provoking deep dive into expectation and self determination. Gray's last film, The Lost City of Z, followed explorer Percy Fawcett's 1925 expedition into Amazonia in a part originally written with Brad Pitt in mind. In Ad Astra he finally takes Gray's lead…
Illustration by Thomas Durham A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole. An absolutely riotous picaresque comedy whose publication and success were to be in tragic circumstances. One of the biggest issues of an adaptation lies within casting the infamous Ignatius Reilly, protagonist and southern behemoth of a man. Ignatius is a middle aged, over-educated and…
Continue reading ➞ Feature // 5 Great Books Not Yet Made Into Films
A ride in the back of a classic car, soaking up the sun and casual sin of 1969 L.A is the aim for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but true to form, that particular road is neither straightforward or well travelled in the world of Quentin Tarantino. The hotly anticipated and first Tarantino film…
While Men in Black: International may contain aliens, black suits, glossy silver guns and a style reminiscent of the original, it captures nothing that has made the franchise special and unfortunately marks the lowest point in the series. Leaving behind agents J and K, MiB: International attempts to takes the series outside of New York City…
When the trailer dropped for Detective Pikachu, the Pokémon franchise's first live action film, I nearly shed a tear. Never had I seen something that seemed to capture the fun, imagination and scale that this series deserved quite so well. Could Detective Pikachu finally be the first great video game film adaptation? If the first trailer dropping the same…
Mid90s has been something of a polygraph test for its first time director, Jonah Hill. The skateboarding world, ever critical of those who exploit it (particularly on financial grounds) has waited patiently to find out whether Hill is cashing in on a fashionable culture, or a genuine insider. The results would suggest Hill was indeed part…
Writer and Director Jordan Peele goes two for two in original modern horrors with black humour, dread and jump scares. Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) and her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) are vacationing with their children Jason (Evan Alex) and Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) in Santa Cruz, alongside wealthier friends the Tylers (Elizabeth Moss and Tim…
There’s always been this idea, this child-like wonder of what it would be like to be a superhero. What it would be like to fly, to shoot lasers out of your eyes, to be bullet-proof, to have super strength and a strong heart. We’re in an age of comic book movies where we see that…
Illustration by Thomas Durham 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace once held the title as the most anticipated film of a generation. Sixteen long-awaited years after Return of the Jedi plus leaps and bounds in special effects, yet it was ravaged by critics upon release. But did it ever really stand a chance? The Phantom Menace is one…
Continue reading ➞ Feature // In Defence Of: The Phantom Menace
I don’t know what it is about Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, but it seems that they can do no wrong. After helming The Lego Movie back in 2014, they continue to make monster hits that have won fans over, time and time again. Even the Academy has finally come around to their talents as 2018's Spider-Man:…
Continue reading ➞ Review // The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
