Author: Simon Hardy Butler
Powerful Put-Downs: 8 Downright Devilish Onscreen Insults
A well-written, expertly relayed verbal barb can be one of the most satisfying things to hear in a movie—especially when it’s proffered to a character who deserves it—and even the smallest throwaway line can be most effective when delivered at the right moment. I’ve heard a lot of celluloid jibes in my day, and I…
Terrible Names: The 10 Worst Movie Titles in History
In the world of the movies, what’s more important than a title? It aims to capture interest, make viewers want to go to see the film. Unfortunately, the history of celluloid names is riddled with poor choices, and most of the pictures given them have been abject failures. In an effort to memorialise these fiascos…
Picture Imperfect: Flaws and Films from a Personal Perspective
When I was in college, I learned to like a painter I’d never much cared for previously: Paul Cézanne. I used to think—in my own deluded, chalk-it-up-to-youth way—his works trivial; those still lifes with mushy-looking fruit didn’t strike me as anything unusual, and I quite disliked his palette … it seemed limited, joyless, plain, without…
Women of The Wild Bunch: Peckinpah, Misogyny and a Credible Moral Code
You know you’ve got a good marriage when your wife agrees to watch The Wild Bunch (1969) with you. I must say, I was quite surprised that she made this decision in the first place. Trudi’s sole previous experience with the films of Sam Peckinpah was watching the disturbing, controversial Straw Dogs (1971) years ago—a…
The Terminator: The Problematic Naming of Dr. Silberman
The Terminator (1984) is anti-Semitic. That’s the thought that goes through my mind every time I sit down to watch this marvellous James Cameron science-fiction film, which features some of star Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best work as a merciless cyborg out to prevent a rebellious future by dispatching its source preemptively. It’s an idea that bothers…