How little tricks heighten the tension

The video above shows one of the most frightening scenes in Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining - although I think that accolade probably goes to the woman in the bath - to find out why it is so scary, read this fascinating post.

Well I'm happy ;-)

According to the Strange Culture blog, George Clooney has been picked to play The Lone Ranger opposite Johnny Depp as Tonto. Someone waft me with a damp newspaper please  . . .

Paul Newman RIP

Just heard Paul Newman died yesterday.

The term film star is thrown around a lot these days, but Newman was the real thing, not only a great actor, but a great screen presence. 

Michael Moore hoping for a Slacker Uprising

Michael Moore has annouced plans to release his latest film as a free download (but only to residents of Canada and the US). Slacker Uprising follows the director's tour through a number of US states during the 2004 election and is intended to act as a spur to persuade younger members of the American electorate to go out and vote. It will be interesting to see if it can have the desired effect on a generation who have been labelled apathetic about politics - although personally, I think the same can said about a lot of older people too, but that goes beyond the scope of this blog.

Wanted is not wanted

Following complaints from 18 people, the Advertising Standards Authority have banned the publicity posters for the film Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie.

I can appreciate they have a job to do, and, that they have to consider the feelings and reactions of the population as a whole, but surely this is a case of locking the stable door after the horse has not only bolted, but has headed for Dover, caught a ferry to Calais and set up home in the Dordogne. The film came out in June. It is now September.

Surely they jest

Apparently, fans are not keen on the idea of Simon Pegg appearing in the latest Star Trek film as the character of Scotty because of his background as a comedy actor. There's a certain irony in that because anyone who has ever heard a real Scottish person speak would say that James Doohan's accent was pure comedy.

Tackling zombies with a pair of Val's knickers

Call me picky, but when I see a glaring error in a film it rather spoils the whole thing for me, and this is the case with the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.

I admit I'm not a fan of zombie films at the best of times, but this one was going along nicely until, for some reason, the writers decided to leave poor, old Andy trapped in the gun shop. I say decided, because that whole sequence was completely unnecessary. As any child who has ever watched Blue Peter knows, Andy could easily have been rescued by the simple implementation of a bosun's chair which could have been constructed using material found around the shopping centre.There would then have been no need for anyone to leave the building. Admittedly, this would have made the film somewhat shorter and less exciting but infinitely more realistic - if you can use that word to describe a piece in which the dead come back to life and attack the living.

I wonder if that is why very few zombie films are made in the UK. Maybe, having spent our childhoods absorbing this kind of knowledge, we would find it only too easy to tackle hordes of brain eating corpses.

Oh, and if you happen to be a zombie, or know any who are feeling a bit lonely, try Zombie Harmony, the free online dating site for the shuffling dead.

A case of creative casting methinks

Jonathan Rhys Meyer (above) appears as Henry VIII in The Tudors. However, as we all know, Henry VIII didn't look like that . . .

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

. . . he looked like this

Anthony Worrall Thompson

Courtesy of Wikipedia

So, wouldn't the chap above have been a better choice?

And while we are on the subject of creative casting,

The handsome fellow above is Henry Cavell who plays the Duke of Suffolk

Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

This is the real Duke of Suffolk, who looks like the overweight (and sympathetically painted) brother of this chap -

Still, I suppose it wouldn't be half as much fun with realistic people LOL

Updated to add: If you find the whole idea of historical lookee-likees as fascinating as I do, head over here.

A remake of Papillon - is it a good idea?

I've been meaning to post about this for a while, still better late than never.

A Spanish production company plan to remake the 1973 film Papillon which starred Steve McQueen as a man wrongly imprisoned for murder. The original, an adaptation of the allegedly autobiographical novel by Henri Charrière, is viewed by many as a classic, mostly because of the wonderful rapport between McQueen and his co-star Dustin Hoffman.

Having read the book and seen the original film, I'm not sure if a remake is necessary. It would be good for the story to be brought to a new audience because, true or not, it is an amazing adventure. However, I'm not sure that it would be possible to find anyone who could fill the shoes of either McQueen or Hoffman. And, of course, any actor who does step up is bound to find himself being compared, possibly unfavourably. Having said that, I think if anyone could do justice to the role of Charriere it could be George Clooney, but I don't have a clue who could play Dega.

You can read more about the Papillon remake here and here. And if you have any thoughts you would like to share, why not leave a note in the comments.

As a child I was very stupid and only did things if actors told me to.

For some reason, the British Medical Council object to the depiction of Geoff Goldblum and Will Smith smoking cigars in Independence Day, yet say nothing about the scene where an elderly man (Judd Hirsch) encourages his son (Goldblum) to drive above the speed limit. Do they not realise that is probably directly responsible for the rise in joy riding?!

And what about Jeff Pullman's portrayal of the American president as a tough, macho man with not much between the ears? I think we all know where that led.

Suggestion from my playlist

The Levellers are (in my opinion) one of the most underrated of British bands. Not sure why, but possibly because they had such an overt political message that they weren't deemed appropriate for mainstream radio in the past. Despite this, they have a loyal following and are still going strong 17 years after the release of One Way (see video above).

The band currently have a new album out, Letters from the Underground. I've heard a few tracks and really liked them, particularly A Life Less Ordinary which was offered as a free download and has become a regular on my playlist. Their music has matured, but still has that certain edge and individuality that marked them out from the hoards of folk/rock bands of the early 90s.

You can find out more about Letters from the Underground and listen to some of the tracks you might have missed over at The Levellers official website.

Really scraping the bottom of the trench

When I first heard about the BBC series Bonekickers I was quite enthralled. I love history and archaeology, I love drama and mystery so, what could be better than those subjects combined? Well, a lot of things actually. Headaches, boring train journeys, a visit from those chaps who sell religion door to door to name a few examples. It truly is that bad.

I really tried to like it, but it just wasn't possible. Quite frankly I find the whole thing ridiculous. The characters are flat and two dimensional, the story lines are predictable and overtly PC. I won't even go into the horribly simplistic approach to the technical bits.

Naturally, I hope there won't be a second series. However, I'm miffed at the missed opportunity, Gnomeflickers had the potential to be an interesting and exciting drama which would have had a captive audience if the viewing figures for factual history programmes are anything to go by. Instead we got something which should have been buried under 20 feet of 'natural'.

The Tudors - Series 2

The second series of The Tudors started on BBC 2 last Friday. For the initiated, the series is a dramatisation of the lives of the Tudor ruling dynasty, focussing on Henry VIII. It has come in for some criticism for being silly and inaccurate (this is true), but it's good fun - think an intellectual soap opera -  and well worth a look if you are a fan of historical drama.

Series 2 starts with Henry being made head of the Church of England and about to marry Anne Boleyn. You can catch the first episode on BBC iPlayer for the next few days.

Just wondering . . .

. . . if James Bond is a secret agent working for the Secret Service, how come everybody knows who he is?

Watch films online

Channel 4's On Demand service gives you the chance to catch up with any favourite programmes you might have missed for 30 days after the initial broadcast. There is also a section devoted to films, including Films to See Before You Die (you can see the widget for that in the right sidebar). I'm not sure if this service works outside the UK though (maybe someone could have a try and let me know).

To use 4oD, you will need Internet Explorer* and you will also have to download a small programme, which is used to stream the material. Otherwise, it's all pretty simple and completely free. At the moment films on offer include Natural Born Killers and Once Upon a Time in America.

* I was surprised to see that, I would have thought Channel 4 would have been a bit more accomodating to users of others browsers.

New Poll/Batman

There is a new poll in the sidebar. This time I want to know which actor is your preferred Batman, so cast your vote, and why not leave a comment to explain why you chose that particular depiction of the great tool-belted one.

Summer Reading Recommendation

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks is set in the Derbyshire village of Eyam in 1665 - the year that plague spread devastatingly through the country. The story follows the fortunes of three central characters: Anna, a serving girl; the local rector and his wife, Elinor as they try to cope with the appalling tragedy unfolding around them.


I wasn't sure if I would like this book - the blurb on the back cover made it sound somewhat politically correct and I'm not a fan of historical fiction which gives a modern interpretation to archaic events or people. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Geraldine Brooks does a wonderful job of making the characters and events accessible to a modern audience, but still maintains the feel and attitudes of a remote 17th century village and offers a lot of interesting historical detail without ever making the reader feel they are being lectured to. 


The book really turns on it's characters, and all are beautifully drawn and believable. The relationships between the central characters are intriguing, and complex - I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it, but all is not what it seems!


All in, Year of Wonders is a wonderful novel and well worth a look if you want to add something a little different to your summer reading list.

Find out more about Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

My Mind is Boggled

Image details: Meryl Streep arrives for Melbourne Mamma Mia premiere served by picapp.com

The ABBA themed musical, Mamma Mia, has turned out to be the biggest musical to open in the UK. Ever! Hmm. I'm not a fan of musicals. Or rather, I'm not a fan of films in which the characters suddenly burst into song for no apparent reason. And don't get me started on impromptu dance routines . .

Crimes Against Celluloid

Just found a Wikipedia entry about the least popular films of all time. The films are sorted into various categories and taken from a range of sources, including the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Some are of the 'so bad it's good' type, others are just plain terrible. It was interesting to see how many of the films were made with a pretty big budget. Proof, if it were needed, that throwing money at a project does not guarantee success.

Oh, and if you are interested, I compiled a list of my 10 least favourite films a while ago. You can see it here.

PS: The post tile is taken from Rob Vaux's comment about Battlefield Earth.

If Martin Scorsese made Sesame Street

Life on the mean streets on childrens' television

Something to read, something to do, something to watch

I don't know about you, but I have a habit of heckling the protagonists in action and horror films. I can't help it, actors seem to lack the rudimentary knowledge required to survive serial killers/movie monsters/homicidal aliens. However, what, in reality, would be the average person's chances of surviving car chases, alien invasion or the attentions of unpleasant cannibalistic types? Find out here.

If you are a budding film maker in need of some exposure, pop over to the BBC film section and find out how you can submit a short film to their Film Network And while you are there, take a look at a favourite of mine, Spring Heeled Jack, a delightfully dark fairytale.

PS: Don't forget to vote in the latest poll, you will find it in the sidebar!

Stan Winston 1946 - 2008

Special effects genius, Stan Winston died on Sunday. I wasn't always a fan of the films he worked on, but even so, I think his talent for creating the impossible was beyond compare.

10 Most Historically Innaccurate Films

Can you guess what they are? I'll give you a clue - Mel Gibson appears in two of them. Why am I not surprised?! Go here to see the rest.

Thanks to Claire at LOL History for the link.

More Movie Dog Trivia

Apparently, Lassie was a boy. I've heard this before, and I'm guessing it's true. The logic behind it being true certainly works, and a search of the urban legends sites turned up nothing to say otherwise.

Random Movie Dog Trivia

Some time ago, I saw Jonathon Ross interview Mickey Rourke who mentioned that he owned a number of Chihuahuas. At the time I did wonder if the Chihuahua in Once Upon a Time in Mexico was his own. Today, I finally got around to checking and according to this thread on the IMDB, yes, it was.

I bet you are glad I shared that with you LOL

Are remakes always rotten?

There is a scary rumour doing the rounds that Madonna plans to remake Casablanca. I must admit, as a rule, I'm not a fan of remakes of films which were actually good the first time round. It just smacks of arrogance. Obviously, some films do benefit from advances in technology - for example, John Carpenter's 1982 remake of The Thing from Another World, does improve on the original - but many do not, and Casablanca is in the latter category. So why bother?

I agree with Filmstalker that the idea does sound like a good one but will it work? Maybe it will be a good film, but even so it will still suffer from constant comparisons with the original which is so enormously popular.

What do you think? Are remakes always bad? Do you think this particular one will work? What are your favourite or most disliked remakes?