You may have noticed my blog posting slackening a little after ccpopculture’s “first birthday.” Partly this is explained by the time of year, as I’ve just finished up school for the year, which meant lots of marking and reporting and limited time to blog. It’s because I’ve posted an increasing number of Extended Cut posts…
Lawrence of Arabia is an intimidating film. As a cinephile (read: wannabe film geek), it’s been a significant hole in my personal pantheon for some time now. I’d caught a half hour in the middle of the day on network television at some point in my youth – which, I’ll hasten to add, is not…
Your typical cinematic cop tends to fall into one of three basic categories: corrupt, by-the-book, or somewhere in between, where they break the rules (and suspect’s bones) to get results. Irish “guard” – policeman – Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) doesn’t fit into any of these subsets. It’s not that he’s a bad cop, per se,…
“Good Night” was one of the stronger episodes of season three of Homeland, a tense sequence – almost a mini action movie – revolving around Brody’s attempts to infiltrate Iran as a double agent (and one that finally tied the Brody and Javadi storylines together). The scenes on the border of Iran had a real…
Gareth Evans’ Indonesian action movie The Raid: Redemption (original title Serbuan maut) opens on a static shot of a wristwatch and a gun. It’s an important opening shot because it tells us two things about the film: it’s going to be precise, and it’s going to be violent. The Raid, as you’d expected, revolves around…
Lately, writing a review of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. feels very similar to writing my upcoming annual student reports, where the primary goal is to seek positive feedback wherever possible. It turns out that it’s easier to find praise for even the least interested Mathematics student than the bland mush being shovelled into a dwindling…
I’ll give Ja’mie: Private School Girl this: it certainly ends strongly. The final episode of this six episode (mini?) series is its strongest of the lot, and it does so by embracing broader comedy rather than adopting Lilley’s usual approach to wrapping up a series (specifically, evoking emotions, which is powerful when done well –…
Cinematic adaptations of popular young adult fantasy series may be guaranteed to rake in the profits, but they’re also guaranteed to bring in the same exact complaints from the fandom every damn time. Specifically, rabid fans of the original novels – whether it’s Twilight, Lord of the Rings or The Hunger Games – always take…
After a fortnight of emotional, stirring pictures at the Brisbane International Film Festival, it seemed only fitting to return to the warm, blood-stained blanket of a dumb ‘80s slasher movie. My Bloody Valentine’s strongest elements aren’t particularly dumb. The setting of an industrial coal-mining town provides a welcome reprieve from the pretty, wealthy teenagers that…
“Clear Brody… what does that even mean?” Good point, Saul. This kind of question demonstrates Homeland’s third season in its strongest mode, questioning the motives and decisions of its increasingly misguided characters. Despite an impressive, strung-out performance from Damian Lewis, Brody remains an albatross around the show’s neck, one that will – if this episode…
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