Feature Archives

The odd story of Alien 3’s misleading teaser trailer

by Mark Harrison | Feb 25, 2021 | Feature, News

“In 1992, we will discover on Earth, everyone can hear you scream” - how the first teaser for Alien 3 promised an entirely different film....

The race to make an Interview With The Vampire sequel

by Simon Brew | Feb 24, 2021 | Feature, News

Warner Bros faced a race against time to make Interview With The Vampire 2 - and thus it took a bit of a gamble....

Wellbeing and Mental Health Matters: the long haul of viral illness

by Jane Roberts | Feb 24, 2021 | Feature

In our weekly spot on the site where we chat about things not being quite wrong, the challenges and demands of a long term condition....

What The Red Strings Club can tell us about writing good exposition

by Antony de Fault | Feb 23, 2021 | Feature, Gaming

Games are often bad at exposition, but a little indie title contains the key to doing it well – by mixing cocktails

Diamonds Are Forever: saluting an underappreciated James Bond film

by Chris Oatten | Feb 23, 2021 | Feature, News

It's the 50th birthday of Diamonds Are Forever this year - and it's a James Bond 007 movie that deserves a bit more love....

The death and rebirth of video game genres

by Molly Somerscales | Feb 22, 2021 | Feature, Gaming

Major studios may have turned their backs on 2D platformers and point-and-click adventures, but for indie devs, they’re a playground of creativity

Zack Snyder, and the ramifications of his Justice League cut

by Simon Brew | Feb 22, 2021 | Feature, News

With Zack Snyder's Justice League now confirmed for March, its success or otherwise could have real ramifications for the film industry....

Old movies: a salute to cinematic pioneer Dorothy Arzner

by Sarah Cook | Feb 22, 2021 | Feature, News

In our regular look at old cinema a salute to the groundbreaking work of female film director Dorothy Arzner, whose first film debuted in the 1920s....

Film Quiz Friday: Testing the Walters

by Mark Harrison | Feb 19, 2021 | Feature, News

Welcome to the best and only Julie Walters-themed film quiz on the internet this weekend - here’s your weekly serving of 30 film-related questions....

British movie podcast of the week: Moving Picture Madness

by Em McGowan | Feb 19, 2021 | Feature

Each week, we recommend a British independent movie podcast we think is worth a listen - let us introduce you to Moving Picture Madness....

There's no space like home - the allure of the video game spaceship hub

by Chris Farnell | Feb 18, 2021 | Feature, Gaming

From the Ebon Hawk to the Unreliable, we take a look at the evolution of the spaceship as a game hub and RPG refuge

Brilliant songs from the movies: sports films

by Paul Childs | Feb 18, 2021 | Feature, News

A good sports movie tends to come with a good sports movie song - and here are some of our favourites....

The King Arthur cinematic universe that never was

by Mark Harrison | Feb 17, 2021 | Feature, News

Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword was supposed to launch a cinematic universe - but things didn't go to plan....

Wellbeing & Mental Health Matters: Presenteeism

by Jane Roberts | Feb 17, 2021 | Feature

In our weekly spot on the site where we chat about mental health and wellbeing, a few thoughts about working too hard....

Premium video on demand, and the ongoing pricing problem

by Simon Brew | Feb 16, 2021 | Feature, News

With pricing for premium 48 hour movie rentals still set between £13 and £16, we ask whether consumers are getting a good deal....

The challenge of selling Rambo to the children's market

by Simon Brew | Feb 15, 2021 | Feature, News

Just because Sylvester Stallone's Rambo was aimed at a mature audience, that doesn't mean there weren't attempts to sell the character to children....

Old movies: the romances of 90 years ago

by Sarah Cook | Feb 15, 2021 | Feature, News

Welcome to our regular column, where we dig right back into cinema history: and we're starting with a bit of romance....

Instant Family: a salute to a really special family movie

by Simon Brew | Feb 12, 2021 | Feature, News

The 2018 comedy Instant Family still flies under many people's radars - here, Simon argues why it's one of the best live action family movies in some...

Film Quiz Friday: Love On The Big Screen

by Mark Harrison | Feb 12, 2021 | Feature, News

Keep yourselves entertained this Valentine’s weekend with a fresh film quiz, featuring 30 questions ranging from romance to robots....

British movie podcast of the week: Russophiles Unite!

by Em McGowan | Feb 12, 2021 | Feature

Our independent podcast recommendation of the week is a terrific guide to Russian cinema - here's a bit more about it....

Epic unveils Metahuman Creator, a create-your-own-eerily-real character construction kit

by Ryan Lambie | Feb 11, 2021 | Feature, Gaming

Making (almost) photo-real human characters for your games is about to get a whole lot easier

Celebrating the bloopers reel at the end of Pixar movies

by Simon Brew | Feb 11, 2021 | Feature, News

Remember when films such as A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2 had an outtakes reel? We look back at a lost but much-loved Pixar extra....

The highs and lows of directing Bruce Willis

by Simon Brew | Feb 10, 2021 | Feature, News

Across his career, Bruce Willis earned a reputation for sometimes being on the difficult side - but M Night Shyamalan had a simple, clever approach to...

Wellbeing & Mental Health Matters: home prescription

by Jane Roberts | Feb 10, 2021 | Feature

In our weekly bit where we chat about mental health and well being, a few ideas and thoughts on finding some favourite things to keep us going....

How a fake film poster launched a major horror franchise

by Peter Davis | Feb 09, 2021 | Feature, News

When the first advert for Friday The 13th appeared, it didn't have funding or a script - but suddenly it had a release date....

Has 3D Blu-ray quietly died a death now?

by Simon Brew | Feb 08, 2021 | Feature, News

It's been over six months since the last 3D Blu-ray release - and it feels like a physical media format with a bleak future....

Why Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back now has a PG certificate

by Simon Brew | Feb 05, 2021 | Feature, News

The BBFC has given The Empire Strikes Back a PG certificate for the first time – but why the sudden change? Simon has been finding out....

Film Quiz Friday: Objects From Space

by Mark Harrison | Feb 05, 2021 | Feature, News

As Greenland arrives on Amazon Prime Video, this week’s film quiz covers space rocks in the movies, along with the usual, more Earthbound cinematic t...