film violence

In this month’s subscriber-only podcast I examine the 1975 movie Rollerball, about an ultra-violent bloodsport and the corporate dystopian society...

Monster movies are one of the most beloved and distinctive genres in cinema, featuring a winning combination of exotic spectacle,...

On this month’s subscriber-only podcast I review one of my favourite films of all time – Starship Troopers. I discuss...

Black Panther and Django Unchained are perhaps the two most successful movies featuring black actors in lead roles that Hollywood...

In what appears to be little more than a promo for the third John Wick film, a recently-released video shows...

Public Enemies is a 2009 historical drama/thriller film that tells the story of the Bureau of Investigation’s manhunt for Public...

The latest reports from the US Army's entertainment liaison office show surprisingly few examples of them providing production assistance to films and TV shows. Instead, they appear to be spending the majority of their time arranging PR events, cosying up to studio executives and monitoring how the military is portrayed in popular entertainment.

In this month's susbcriber-only podcast I talk about my new screenplay project - a political satire of Hollywood. I talk about my history with acting and writing, and discuss some of my creative process, how I developed two simple ideas and combined them to form the basis for my screenplay. I also quickly review some of my film and TV inspirations including The Big Picture, Get Shorty and Episodes. (Read more...)

On this month’s subscriber-only podcast I dissect the 1994 movie Swimming with Sharks, about a young man who goes to work at a Hollywood studio, where his boss (Kevin Spacey) abuses and bullies him relentlessly. I reflect on the film’s relevance in the wake of the #MeToo phenomenon, and how the film is a dark […](Read more...)

The James Bond films, like the books on which they are based, have always pushed the boundaries of acceptable portraits of sex and violence. Documents from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) show how for Thunderball they reviewed the script, recommending many changes if the film was to achieve the 'A' certificate that the producers wanted.