Month: August 2004

‘Zulu’ is one of the all time greatest war films ever made

Stanley Baker (right) and Michael Caine in 'Zulu'
Stanley Baker (right) and Michael Caine in ‘Zulu’

[rating=4]Starring: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, and introducing Michael Caine
Director(s): Cy Endfield
Writer(s): Screenplay by John Prebble and Cy Endfield, suggested by an article by John Prebble

When I was a kid, my father introduced me to a lot of things I still love to this day. They include Johnny Cash, “Dr. Who”, and the classic British war film, Zulu. And that movie is still one of my all-time favorite war films.

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Are DVDs Really Worth It

Looking back, VHS was rubbish wasn’t it? How did we endure all that tracking, endlessly turning the dials in a futile attempt to remove that unsightly snow from the top and bottom of our picture? And what good is a VHS copy of Basic Instinct if the screen shakes like an epileptic whenever you press pause? Even worse, while we paid good money to forever own VHS copies of our favourite films, the quality would inevitably deteriorate, and after a few short years a team of experts was required to determine exactly what the battered black rectangle previously contained.

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‘I, Robot’ is overloaded with clichés and elements from other, better sci-fi movies

A robot learns to think for himself in 'I, Robot'
A robot learns to think for himself in ‘I, Robot’

[rating=2]Starring: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, James Cromwell, Bruce Greenwood, Alan Tudyk, Chi McBride and Shia LaBeouf
Director(s): Alex Proyas
Writer(s): Screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, Story by Jeff Vintar, suggested by the novel by Isaac Asimov

To put it simply, Will Smith is back as the improbably named Detective Dell Spooner in this summer’s blockbuster, I, Robot. It’s Chicago, it’s 2035 and the robot as domestic appliance is everywhere. One CGI filled street shot sees countless C3PO-a-likes walking dogs, picking up children, doing the shopping. It’s a world where robot and human all live in peace and harmony.

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Rebel Without A Crew

Written back in 1996, Rebel Without A Crew is probably one of the finest books about filmmaking that I’ve read. Written by Robert Rodriguez, it charts his process of making his first feature film, El Mariachi. It reads very honestly, … Read more