Feature Archives

Film Quiz Friday: The Re-Disneyfied Edition

by Mark Harrison | Sep 04, 2020 | Feature

There’s no Premiere Access required for this week’s quiz, which includes questions about Disney’s live-action remakes and various other bits of movie...

Diversity in film writing: a few thoughts

by Simon Brew | Sep 04, 2020 | Feature, News

The world of film writing feels a little more diverse than it was a decade ago - but there's still a fair way yet to go, and we just wanted a chat...

British movie podcast of the week: The Paul and Griff Show

by Em McGowan | Sep 04, 2020 | Feature

Our independent movie podcast of the week is one that's made its mark in just under six months - let's have a chat about Paul and Griff....

Seen and heard: making games for the visually impaired

by Matteo Lupetti | Sep 02, 2020 | Feature, Gaming

We meet the developers using audio and haptic feedback to increase accessibility in their games

Wellbeing Matters: the ties that bind

by Jane Roberts | Sep 02, 2020 | Feature

Welcome to the spot on the site where we chat about wellbeing and mental health - and this week, a word about ties, and finding a way to loosen them a...

Film Stories & Film Stories Junior: an update on the magazines

by Simon Brew | Sep 01, 2020 | Feature, News

A few words on where Film Stories and Film Stories Junior currently are, and the plan for both of them going forward....

When David Cronenberg found out there was another movie called Crash coming out

by Simon Brew | Sep 01, 2020 | Feature, News

There's no crossover between the 1996 Crash and the 2004 Crash - except the latter adopted the same title, and there was nothing that could be done...

Tenet, and admitting you haven’t a clue what’s happening in a film

by Simon Brew | Aug 28, 2020 | Feature, News

As more and more people find the narrative of Christopher Nolan's Tenet near-impossible to follow, a few words about admitting you haven't a bloody...

Film Quiz Friday: The 180-Minute Edition

by Mark Harrison | Aug 28, 2020 | Feature

Find a comfy seat and reconsider that extra-large soft drink, because this week’s film quiz covers some movies that are more than three hours long....

British movie podcast of the week: Devil Times Five

by Em McGowan | Aug 28, 2020 | Feature

Our weekly movie podcast recommendation this week has a blend of horror and comedy to it - and a very successful blend at that....

Not all games need open worlds - here's why

by Konstantinos Dimopoulos | Aug 27, 2020 | Feature, Gaming

Real cities can be vast, but their game counterparts don’t always need to be so sprawling and detailed

Die Another Day’s Jinx, and the lost James Bond spin-off franchise

by Mark Harrison | Aug 27, 2020 | Feature, News

The name’s Johnson, Jinx Johnson - MGM was once keen on having Halle Berry’s character from Die Another Day front a 007 spin-off movie....

Batman (1989), and the behind the scenes struggle with its ending

by Simon Brew | Aug 26, 2020 | Feature, News

It took urgent rewrites to fix the ending of 1989's Batman, not least because one of its producers had spent $100,000 on a prop without telling the...

Wellbeing Matters: keeping a lid on fear

by Simon Brew | Aug 26, 2020 | Feature

In our weekly spot where we chat about mental health and wellbeing, a few words about trying to keep a lid on difficult emotions and feelings....

Gaming the Kickstarter campaign machine

by Khee Hoon Chan | Aug 25, 2020 | Feature, Gaming

Crowdfunded games aren’t a cakewalk for developers – even successful ones. We find out why

The Crow Chronicle: the DVD extra feature that got pulled late in the day

by John Abbitt | Aug 25, 2020 | Feature

How a feature length documentary on The Crow was completed and ready for its special edition DVD, and then had the plug pulled on it....

Intensity and pacing in The Last Of Us: Left Behind

by Antony de Fault | Aug 24, 2020 | Feature, Gaming

How does The Last of Us’ standalone prequel Left Behind use rising action in its storytelling? Antony explains all

Anne Ramsey: a salute to an 80s movie hero

by Simon Brew | Aug 24, 2020 | Feature

Anne Ramsey sprung to fame late in her career courtesy of The Goonies and Throw Momma From The Train - and her work very much lives on....

Are algorithms damaging the movies?

by Simon Brew | Aug 24, 2020 | Feature, News

They affect what's made, what we watch and how films are written out: we take a look at the quiet power that algorithms have over modern cinema....

Getting a short film off the ground

by Billie Melissa | Aug 24, 2020 | Feature

Billie Melissa takes us through the ups and downs and getting her short film, I Love You Guys, to the screen - with filming due to start soon....

Film Quiz Friday: Nolan Me, Nolan You…

by Mark Harrison | Aug 21, 2020 | Feature

Are you watching closely? With Tenet due in cinemas next week, this week’s film quiz covers the movies of Christopher Nolan and a load of other c...

British movie podcast of the week: The A24 Project

by Em McGowan | Aug 21, 2020 | Feature

Our weekly slot where we recommend an independent UK podcast returns, and we're saluting the pod that in turn salutes A24....

How the whammo theory failed to save Hudson Hawk

by Simon Brew | Aug 20, 2020 | Feature

The production of Hudson Hawk was in trouble pretty quickly - but a formula that had served producer Joel Silver well was hopefully going to come to...