Posts By Luke Brookman
2017 has been a year that has been lacking laughs in terms of mainstream news. The world is divided politically, monsters in powerful places – and our heroes alike – have been revealed as sex offenders, and many talented people have left us. In short, it’s all been a bit depressing. Thankfully, the movies have been there to keep our… Read more »
Ever had déjà vu? What if it was just that you were stuck in a time loop repeating the same day?… Yes, probably not but that is the case in these movies. The repeating day narrative has been a staple of cinema in the modern era. Perhaps even more so, the unique brand of storytelling has been extremely prolific in… Read more »
When casting a role for a film it is advantageous to have the largest pool of actors to draw from. Sometimes an actor is born to play a role. We’ve seen many cases of this, and in recent years particularly we’ve seen this be prevalent in the superhero genre. However, just because an actor is perfect for a role (i.e…. Read more »
What’s in a swear word? Why do we get such a thrill from using and hearing them? Is it the forbidden nature of the words? Or the beautiful way in which they roll off the tongue and add a little spice to a sentence? Whatever the reason, a large majority of us love them and cinema reflects this. Many claim… Read more »
From explicit gore to the sexually perverse, cinema has always dabbled in the provocative and the disturbed. William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist and The French Connection, once said, “if I wasn’t a director, I might have become a serial killer”. His words reveal so much about the craft and the kind of minds that champion it. Filmmakers have sought… Read more »
Some directors know what works for them, whether it be a signature style, working within a certain genre, hiring the same crew or, in the case of a certain few, relying on the same group of actors for the majority of their films. It is not difficult to understand why a director might reuse actors for different features. Understanding an… Read more »
What makes a cinematic movement a new wave? There are many loose definitions for the term “new wave”, but when applying it to national cinemas, two things are clear: a cinematic new wave is a movement that is distinctively different to the dominant mode of filmmaking of its home nation and its main goal, in every iteration, is to rejuvenate… Read more »
Since his debut with Following, Christopher Nolan has steadily produced a body of work that will no doubt secure his place amongst the pantheon of brilliant directors. As a filmmaker, Nolan has pioneered new ways to tell stories, to stage action set pieces and has reimagined the modern day blockbuster. This groundbreaking approach to filmmaking has brought him much critical… Read more »
When it was announced back in 2015 that Denis Villeneuve was attached to direct a sequel to the science fiction masterpiece Blade Runner public reaction was, understandably, mixed. Questions arose over whether Ridley Scott’s 80s classic really needed a follow up, let alone one that would be released so long after the original. However, when Villeneuve stepped up to the… Read more »
