Martin Skidmore says:
I have ended up reviewing this after Lang’s Metropolis, arguably its spiritual grandfather, another film of workers revolting against a mad and repressive state. This is less controlled, original and masterly in many ways[…]

I have always been wary of pubs named after the geographical area in which they reside. I am always extra wary when they only just make it into that catagory. It seems a bit presumptuous, as if to say they are the pub the area is named after (which i[…]

I’m Not Scared has a moment of horrific resonance for anyone who has watched the news over the last two months about halfway in. The little blonde child who has been kidnapped and hidden in a muddy hole is confronted by our ten year old hero Mi[…]

In this film Robert Morley is fed his own minced up poodles in a pie by Vincent Price. I really should stop there, if that does not convince you of the utter genius of Theatre Of Blood, not much of the rest of this will. Vincent Price hams it up some[…]

Yippee Kai-Aye Motherfucker.
(Or if you are watching ITV: Yippee Kai-Aye Kemosabe.)
Die Hard takes its time, that is its secret. Probably the first action film to be designed directly like a videogame (with levels and end of level bad guys even), Die[…]

The Trouble With Batman. If he is the yang to the impossible to write well Superman, then it should be easy to write him. Indeed it is, because Batman – psychologically stunted insufferable know-it-all in tights is rarely the lead character in […]

(This blog goes out to Toby who saw this film a month ago.)
Demonlover is a website which provides adult anime to a large US audience. Working via a French company Volk, who have just bought a large share in JapanAnime, they hope to corner the market[…]

Aliens is significant for many reasons. It is a sequel which is in many ways superior to the original. It is an interesting document on the state of the Hollywood war film, and cements more sci-fi and horror cliches that possibly any other film of th[…]

The Harry Potter films I have seen (I and III) have relied on generally unmotivated plot twists with surprisingly little foreshadowing. Interesting for film adaptation because in general, this kind of thing rarely happens in film itself. Talking the […]

My Pasta Hell. I have this problem when I knock up makeshift pasta. I have to resist adding tomato. Don’t get me wrong, I love a tomatoey sauce with my pasta, either a gloopy Neapolitan or meaty Bolognaise. But last night with a red onion, garl[…]