We often go to the movies to be thrilled and no other art form can thrill us so spectacularly. Leaving the world behind for a couple of hours and engaging with a plot and characters often far removed from our own lives is part and parcel of the big screen’s charm and persuasion. Thrillers come […]
Author: Martyn Conterio
10 Best Movies of 2015
2015 saw the return of two iconic 1980s movie franchises in “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Directors George Miller and J.J. Abrams were under mucho pressure to not drop the ball and deliver inferior product. “Star Wars” have been fooled before, thanks to those dreadful prequels. Elsewhere, the year was […]
10 Greatest Star Wars Moments
A lot has happened in the ten years since George Lucas wrapped up his “Star Wars” mythology with the prequels depicting Anakin Skywalker’s journey to the dark side of the Force. He sold the series to Disney and the company hired JJ Abrams to relaunch it with a direct sequel to the original beloved trilogy. […]
The Ten Best Horror Movies of 2015
It’s been a very good year for horror cinema. The best work is coming from the USA, because currently there is an exciting scene happening with lots of clever directors and writers shaking up the genre. In fact, it’s all been going on for at least five years or more, really ever since the Duplass […]
Steven Spielberg: His 10 Greatest Movies
Steven Spielberg is among the greatest filmmakers the medium has ever known. He is also one the most successful, in terms of tickets sold and box-office receipts. He emerged during the 1970s New Hollywood scene, but his aims were very different from friends such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. With “Jaws” (1975), he […]
The Cinema of Walerian Borowczyk: Something to Do with Sex
Note: Contains nudity and sexual references. No director in the history of cinema explored erotic themes, sensuality and the power of desire quite like Walerian Borowczyk (1923 – 2006). He was a master filmmaker, a major figure in surrealist cinema, and since his death his work and reputation have been revived and reappraised. Having studied […]
The Top 10 Films From London Film Festival 2015
The 59th BFI London Film Festival closed on 18th October with the premiere of Danny Boyle’s biopic of Apple guru, Steve Jobs, starring Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet. During the annual eleven-day event, well over 200 films screened across venues in the city and, although many of the big movies selected had already screened at […]
10 Concept Cars That Have Graced the Silver Screen
Movies and cars go together perfectly on the big screen. In fact, the two things have a lot in common: they’re about craft, design and, most importantly, movement. The feeling of speed in cinema is achieved chiefly through editing and the illusion of fast and furious, peddle-to-the-metal travel can be exhilarating to experience. The car […]
An Interview with Sophie Brown, a Rising Star on the UK Tattoo Scene
At twenty-two Sophie Brown, from Warrington, Cheshire, a town in England situated between famous cities Liverpool and Manchester, is a promising artist on the UK tattoo art scene. In a short space of time, she has won several prizes and had work featured in Total Tattoo magazine. Sophie is also my cousin. Despite our shared […]
Surrealist Cinema: Ten Films That Mess With Your Head
Surrealism in cinema should never be reduced to weirdness for weirdness’s sake and seen as a revolutionary artistic form allowing filmmakers to investigate, reflect upon and transform the rules of the medium. In Gilbert Adair’s “Flickers” (1995), which every film enthusiast should have on their shelves, the author presented a quote from British director, Michael […]