Ah, the humble gas/petrol station. Screenwriters love it as a setting for scenes. Perhaps because, in road movies at least, it offers a way for the characters to have a break from one another, to encounter other people, to get into trouble, assess their situation, that sort of thing. Here are five I like, from action and comedy to sci-fi.
Tag: film
Top five Margot Robbie performances
I recently rewatched the 2015 movie Focus, about con artists, and seeing it again I was struck by how truly electric Margot Robbie is on screen… here are some of my favourite performances of hers.
Anti-Valentine’s Day movies
As most of us are locked down (note: it’s a pandemic), Valentine’s Day seems somewhat hollow. A good way to fight back against all the romance and declarations of love out there is with movies. But the opposite of romance, if you can find it. Think of them as palate cleansers. As a rule of… Continue reading Anti-Valentine’s Day movies
Favourite female film characters with brightly coloured hair
Someone I know recently dyed her hair pink. She’d previously had it purple, or was it green or blue? I forget, whatever the colour I remember it looked cool at the time, because, let’s face it, if you’ve got bright hair you’re automatically fifty per cent more interesting than most of us. I mean… it’s… Continue reading Favourite female film characters with brightly coloured hair
Knives Out: a twisty, hilarious tale from Rian Johnson
After getting lambasted by angry man-babies for his attempt to do something very slightly different with Star Wars, you could forgive writer-director Rian Johnson if he decided he wanted to retreat to the hills never to make a movie again. However, the best thing you can do, with most setbacks in life, is to get… Continue reading Knives Out: a twisty, hilarious tale from Rian Johnson
Mission Impossible Fallout: the best one yet?
We were first introduced to super spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in the first Mission Impossible in 1996 (directed by Brian de Palma), and it represented a bit of a departure for Cruise. His last film credited film before that was Interview with the Vampire (1994) and, with maybe the exception of Top Gun, he’d… Continue reading Mission Impossible Fallout: the best one yet?
The rise of the action woman
Recently I was listening to a podcast with Alicia Vikander, one where she talked about her role as the new Lara Croft and how the character has been rebooted as a more realistic heroine for modern women. She mentioned how it seems there’s momentum these days, indeed appetite, towards high quality, well put together, action-driven… Continue reading The rise of the action woman
Ready Player One: a young man’s game?
‘Have you heard the news? Spielberg is directing Ready Player One!’ Thus went the geek cries across the interwebs – and I was one of them. For this was pleasing, one of cinema’s greatest directors was going to bring to screen a fast-paced and cinematic – but frankly tricky – book by Ernest Cline. Mostly… Continue reading Ready Player One: a young man’s game?
Top five film and TV characters called Michael
A silly post now. I just want to celebrate my name. That, and I had a sneaking suspicion there were some cool film and TV characters called Michael. After all, it’s one of the oldest – and most popular – names in the world. Here’s a few that float my boat. Mikey, The Goonies (1985)… Continue reading Top five film and TV characters called Michael
Blade Runner 2049: an idiot’s review
I’ll put this out there from the off. Only a complete numpty would go to see Blade Runner 2049 with just a vague memory of the original, but that’s what I did. The reason being is because, shock horror, I’ve never been a die-hard fan of the original and wanted a fairly untainted experience of… Continue reading Blade Runner 2049: an idiot’s review
