Feature Archives

Wellbeing Matters: hitting the brick wall

by Jane Roberts | May 06, 2020 | Feature

In our weekly slot where we chat about mental health and wellbeing, a few words on the ongoing struggles of being in lockdown....

Interactive: the making of Headspun

by Ryan Lambie | May 05, 2020 | Feature, Gaming

Developer Jamin Smith talks us through the trials of making his ambitious point-and-click hybrid

How Steven Seagal's planned directorial debut fell apart at the last minute

by Simon Brew | May 04, 2020 | Feature

Steven Seagal was all set to direct a Godfather-style drama in 1992 - but the plug was pulled on the $32m movie with just two weeks to go before...

iron man, aka Tony Stark, as played by Robert Downey Jr.

How Marvel nearly didn’t have its own Iron Man rights

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

Marvel had to wait for somebody else's rights option to expire - and hope a movie didn't happen - before it could press ahead with its Iron Man...

Back to the wasteland: the post-apocalyptic, isometric RPG returns

by Jack Yarwood | May 01, 2020 | Feature, Gaming

We speak to a group of developers about the influence of Fallout and the re-emergence of the post-apocalyptic RPG

When James Bond took legal umbrage with Austin Powers - and won

by Simon Brew | May 01, 2020 | Feature

The companies behind James Bond weren't happy with Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - and took even greater umbrage with Goldmember....

British movie podcast of the week: MovieDrone

by Em McGowan | May 01, 2020 | Feature

Every week, we recommend a terrific independent UK movie podcast - and this week, we've got another for you: MovieDrone....

The story of the lost Pixar movie

by Simon Brew | Apr 30, 2020 | Feature

Only once in its entire history has Pixar announced a feature and then had to cancel it - here's the story of Newt, and what went wrong....

The ParaPod Movie: from podcast to picture

by Ian Boldsworth | Apr 30, 2020 | Feature

The story of how a successful podcast was turned into a movie: introducing the tale behind The ParaPod Movie....

Whatever happened to the UK DVD etailers of the 1990s and 2000s?

by Simon Brew | Apr 29, 2020 | Feature

The early 2000s saw etailers such as DVD Street, Play, Blackstar and Movietyme become top choices for movie lovers - and we've been digging into their...

The curious computer games of the Sylvester Stallone-headlined movie Cobra

by Andrew Fisher | Apr 29, 2020 | Feature

The Stallone movie Cobra got a computer game version in the 1980s, available for all ages - but what you got varied on what version you bought....

Wellbeing Matters: when you feel you can’t get through the day

by Jane Roberts | Apr 29, 2020 | Feature

In our weekly spot where we chat about wellbeing and mental health, we just want to have a natter this week about struggling to keep on going....

How Star Trek II changed the home entertainment business forever

by Simon Brew | Apr 28, 2020 | Feature

It took a huge gamble and the overcoming of a lot of industry cynicism for Paramount to try something very different with the home release of Star...

The superb promotional campaign for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

by Simon Brew | Apr 27, 2020 | Feature

The first Austin Powers movie was a modest success, the second a flat-out box office sensation - and one genius trailer was a key turning point....

How Jack Lemmon solved the Glengarry Glen Ross top billing problem

by Simon Brew | Apr 27, 2020 | Feature

Al Pacino takes top billing in 1992's Glengarry Glen Ross, in spite of having a supporting role - and Jack Lemmon is in part to thank....

The Max Payne movie, rating struggles, and its proposed sequel

by Simon Brew | Apr 24, 2020 | Feature

The Max Payne videogames looked set to make terrific movies, and a franchise was in the offing - but things didn't quite go to plan....

A celebration of two star-rated fantasy films

by Sarah Cook | Apr 24, 2020 | Feature

A celebration of the fantasy films that might have failed to win over the critics, but still are a whole lot of fun....

British movie podcast of the week: The Filmmakers Podcast

by Em McGowan | Apr 24, 2020 | Feature

Our weekly independent movie podcast recommendation: this week. it's the terrific The Filmmakers Podcast....

5 real examples of deliberate sabotage on the set of movies

by Simon Brew | Apr 23, 2020 | Feature

Sometimes things go wrong on a movie set and it's an accident - but sometimes, there are incidents, such as this little lot, where it's quite the...

The assorted re-edits of The Last Of The Mohicans

by Simon Brew | Apr 23, 2020 | Feature, News

Michael Mann wasn't entirely happy with the speedy theatrical cut of The Last Of The Mohicans - and a few different variants have been released...

Adventures in Amblin: a salute to three of its (nearly) forgotten hits

by Neil Shepherd | Apr 22, 2020 | Feature

The logo of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin production company adorned many favourites from the 80s and 90s, including some that don’t get enough rec...

Wellbeing Matters: Small Pleasures

by Jane Roberts | Apr 22, 2020 | Feature

Our weekly spot on the site where we talk about things to do with mental health and wellbeing - and we're just nattering about the small things in...

When John Travolta quit a $17m payday, days before filming

by Simon Brew | Apr 21, 2020 | Feature, News

Roman Polanski was set to make The Double with John Travolta in 1996 – but the film collapsed in high profile fashion....

The two films that died when Batman & Robin flopped

by Simon Brew | Apr 20, 2020 | Feature

Warner Bros had two more films lined up with director Joel Schumacher - but Batman & Robin's box office disappointment changed its plans....

Three films and out: the movie story of Yahoo Serious

by Mark Searby | Apr 16, 2020 | Feature

When Young Einstein was being prepared for its US cinema release, Yahoo Serious was on the verge of being a big star - here's what happened next....

Titanic, and how Paramount Pictures got an incredible deal on the world’s biggest film

by Simon Brew | Apr 15, 2020 | Feature

Titanic was for a long time the biggest film of all time at the box office - and at least one movie studio got an absolute bargain....

Wellbeing Matters: a few words about ennui

by Jane Roberts | Apr 15, 2020 | Feature

Our spot on the website where we chat about mental health and wellbeing, and this week we want to have a natter about struggling through these times....