Feature Archives

Batman Forever, and its villain problem

by Mark Harrison | Sep 17, 2020 | Feature, News

Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey famously didn’t get on when making Batman Forever, but could the film have used that? Mark reconsiders two mismatched v...

Bill & Ted: why they mattered, why they still matter

by Bethany Black | Sep 16, 2020 | Feature, News

Comedian and writer Bethany Black on how Bill & Ted have played a big part in her life - and why the pair still matter so much, over three decades...

Wellbeing Matters: spoons, and 'you don't look sick'

by Jane Roberts | Sep 16, 2020 | Feature

In our regular spot where we chat about mental health and wellbeing, a words on spoon theory, and illnesses that aren't immediately obvious....

Tenet: has the box office experiment failed?

by Simon Brew | Sep 15, 2020 | Feature, News

The hopes of cinema seemed to hang on Christopher Nolan's Tenet - and now the numbers are in, big films are being moved around again....

The quiet dispute over Finding Neverland’s final cut

by Simon Brew | Sep 15, 2020 | Feature, News

How director Marc Forster stood up to Miramax wanting to tinker with the final cut of the movie Finding Neverland, and how he ultimately got his way....

The story of Guillermo del Toro's unmade Haunted Mansion reboot

by Lauren Miles | Sep 14, 2020 | Feature, News

The big screen reboot of Disney's The Haunted Mansion looked all set for director Guillermo del Toro - but it never came to be....

Film Quiz Friday: Versus Mode!

by Mark Harrison | Sep 11, 2020 | Feature

Let’s get ready to rumble! Versus movies, long-running franchises, and the 12A certificate are among the subjects in this week’s film quiz....

British movie podcast of the week: Big Fat Cult

by Em McGowan | Sep 11, 2020 | Feature

In our weekly spot where we highlight an independent movie podcast that we reckon is worth your time, a celebration of the less celebrated films....

Jean-Claude Van Damme and the film that revitalized his career

by Jake Godfrey | Sep 10, 2020 | Feature, News

A film that was set to be called King Of The Belgium underwent significant changes, and would give Jean-Claude Van Damme one of his best ever roles....

World Suicide Prevention Day: a few thoughts on a special film

by Jane Roberts | Sep 10, 2020 | Feature, News

A brand new feature has been made available free of charge for a month, that addresses mental health and suicide - and it's well worth a watch....

The Alien saga, franchise cinema, and why it may be time to stop linking everything up

by Simon Brew | Sep 09, 2020 | Feature, News

Franchises such as the Alien and Terminator sagas are trying to find new paths in the cinematic universe-driven world - and perhaps it's time to let...

Wellbeing Matters: comfort blankets

by Jane Roberts | Sep 09, 2020 | Feature

In our regular spot where we natter about mental health and wellbeing, a few words about comfort movies, music, TV shows and ice cream....

The wonderful-sounding Muppets movie that we never got

by Brendon Connelly | Sep 08, 2020 | Feature, News

Before we got 2011's The Muppets, plans were afoot for a brilliant-sounding Muppet adventure, that ultimately never got made - here's its story....

The special reward for Lethal Weapon 3’s filmmakers

by Simon Brew | Sep 07, 2020 | Feature, News

When Lethal Weapon 3 hit big, Warner Bros went to great lengths to keep the creatives involved with the film happy - and it involved an extra gift to...

Eddie The Eagle: a live action family film that deserves a lot more love

by Simon Brew | Sep 04, 2020 | Feature

To find a live action family film that all generations can watch and get something out of is increasingly rare - and few recently have managed it...

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...