Articles and Lists

By Michael McNulty Jeff Nichols firmly established himself as a talented director with his 2011 psychological thriller, Take Shelter, and his 2012 coming of age story, Mud. But, his first film, the often overlooked slow burn feud thriller, Shotgun Stories, released in 2007, is where it all began. The imaginatively named Son (Michael Shannon), Kid (Barlow Jacobs) and Boy (Douglas Ligon) are the first set of offspring of Cleaman Hayes, a former drunk who after kicking the booze and finding...

By Michael McNulty “Whad-da-ya hear, whad-da-say, ” Warner Brother’s 1939 gangster offering saw James Cagney earn the first Oscar nomination of his career. Directed by Michael Curtiz, Angels with Dirty Faces is a gangster film that’s morally conscious. The film opens as a young Rocky Sullivan and friend, Jerry, hang on the steps of a ramshackle building in a poverty stricken neighbourhood. The two, without a penny to their name and nothing to do, decide to knock off a goods...

By Michael McNulty Let’s be honest, independent film has become a term that’s murkier than an unattended fish tank. But, hey, forget that noise and leave that conversation for another time – perhaps after having watched one these films. To celebrate the release of US Indie Comedy The Big Sick - here are 5 of the best comedies independent cinema has to offer. 1. Slacker Richard Linklater’s 1991 film, Slacker, helped to propel independent film making in the nineties and...

By Michael McNulty With Orange is the New Black’s, albeit slightly disappointing, season 5 now well and truly behind us, you may find yourself thirsting after another prison set drama. Look no further. Here to satisfy your needs is Jules Dassin’s 1947 film, Brute Force. Set in Westgate Penitentiary, a prison run by a weak willed Warden, Barnes (Roman Bohnen), who is facing increased pressure from the board to up the discipline. The Chief Guard, Monsey (Hume Cronyn), a fierce...

By Michael McNulty Sex, Lies, and Videotape was supposedly showing at a West Berlin cinema when the wall fell and residents from the East descended on the cinema expecting to see a pornographic film. Those who stuck around to watch the film, once they realized it wasn’t a skin flick, will surely have left the cinema all the more satisfied. Steven Soderbergh wrote Sex, Lies, and Videotape in 8 days and secured a budget of 1.2 million (a bigger budget...

The Italian Job has been named the greatest British film ever made. A survey of 2,000 Brits put Peter Collinson's stylish 1969 crime caper in top spot - with fans fondly remembering its famous Mini Cooper chases and cliffhanger ending. The film tells the story of a gang of English crooks who plot to rob $4million worth of gold bullion from under the noses of the mob and the police in Turin. Sir Michael Caine, who played lead character Charlie...

By Michael McNulty Paris and New York are more often the cities romanticized on the silver screen, from the gritty streets of the Bronx to the arty cafes of Montemarte. But let’s not forget about the island that sits in the middle and the city at its centre, London. Here are our top five London set films. 1. Attack the Block To kick things off, let’s travel south of the river, down Brixton way. Joe Cornish’s directorial debut, a thrill...

By Michael McNulty Murder, sex, and a little cannibalism thrown in, that’s what Eating Raoul, Paul Bartel’s 1982 film, has on offer. For some it will be too outrageous, for others it will feel like a played down John Water flick, never quite committing to the true nature of its outrageous plot. But, the film strikes a perfect balance that works completely for what it’s set out to achieve. Its black, deadpan comedy with a slapstick slant, is not only...

This weekend saw the 50th Anniversary re-release of The Graduate, Mike Nichols’ seductive black comedy that followed Dustin Hoffman’s naïvely disillusioned college graduate, Ben Braddock, as he grappled with his ardent attraction for the sultry Mrs. Robinson (a captivating Anne Bancroft), and his sentimental adoration for her daughter, Elaine (Katherine Ross). Crafted from the original 35mm camera negative, this gorgeous new 4K restoration effortlessly enhances the film’s hypnotic visual vibrancy, whilst never detracting from the compellingly darker aspects of the...