Category: Based on a book or true story
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Straight Up, No Twist
So many films rely on a last minute twist…M Knight Shyamalan built a career on exactly that. However Baz Luhrmann, in his Red Curtain trilogy, said that one of the basics was “that the audience knows how it will end when it begins”. Personally, I think “when it begins” is overstating things but within the…
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TV Series Review – Shōgun
There is a lot to love about Shōgun. It has amazing sets Fantastic cinematography Brilliant acting Compelling story But to me, the thing that stands out the most about Shōgun is the character building. Bad writers create one-dimensional characters that are likeable or unlikable. Good writers create characters that are unlikable but become likable, or vice…
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Nosferatu – What You Need To Know
I know it is a fact of film making that, when you can’t think of a new idea, why not just re-use an old one? I know the latter part of the twentieth century has been fertile territory for recent features but how about going back a bit further? Like to 1922? Who is Nosferatu?…
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Netflix’s Three-body – first episode review
First, let me start with some context. I’m a born and raised in China kind of Chinese, I’m a big fan of the Three-body trilogy. In fact, they are my favourite sci-fi books ever. I read them in Chinese many times, and in an effort to get Dan to read the trilogy, I read the…
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The Martian-Deleted Scenes and Additional Footage
The Martian is, hands down, one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a great example of science fiction at its best because it barely feels like a science fiction movie. It really feels like a recreation of an actual event. Actually, it feels like they just filmed a real event. If you think…
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RunPee Dune Hub
I’m probably not the right person to write this. No…I’m definitely not the right person to write this! You’d be much better informed if Dan or Jilly had written an introduction to this Dune mini-hub. Perhaps they’ll write something better and just get rid of my nonsense. You see, the problem is that I have…
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Christmas Movie Review – A Christmas Carol (2020)
It’s no secret that I love the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. I know it is the same story, pretty much, every time but, I think, that just shows what a great story it is. It’s also no real surprise that I am a bit of a completist and, to that end, I would love…
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Christmas Rewatch Review – Christmas With The Kranks
A lot of films are based on books, essays, short stories, etc. Some authors have had a lot of films based on their work; William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, and Stephen King are the most prolific. And who is fourth? None other than John Grisham! One of my all time favourite films, Runaway Jury, is an…
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Documentary Review – The Pigeon Tunnel
There is a more than somewhat axiomatic saying dished out to aspiring writers…“Write what you know.” This can be good advice. If you wish to write a series about that misadventures of a group of teachers then it is a definite bonus to have spent some time working as a teacher. If you are writing…
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20th Anniversary Rewatch Movie Review – Runaway Jury
I’ve said elsewhere that Runaway Jury is one of my go to, no think, easy watch options. Given that it will be twenty years old this year, I thought I’d better have a go at explaining why I enjoy it so much. I suppose it has to be the combination of a great cast and…
