Tag: cinema
13 Great Movie Androids, Cyborgs and Robots
Everyone loves lists and movies. I love mechanical life forms too. So I’ve rolled all three into one with a little engineering spin. This list is by no means comprehensive – it’s simply thirteen of my favourite androids, cyborgs and robots. 13. Blinky – BlinkyTM (2011) BlinkyTM is a short film about a boy,…
Group Offences: Braveheart and the future of prejudiced pictures
The worst thing I ever heard at the movies was laughter. This oft-merry sound reached me, to my dismay, at a Manhattan showing of Mel Gibson’s historical epic Braveheart (1995) nearly 20 years ago. I was watching it in the theatre, surrounded by other New Yorkers, when a scene came up in which King Edward…
Young Talent: Recognising the great child actors
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded twelve special “Juvenile Oscars” between 1934 and 1960. The recipients included some of the biggest names in Hollywood, such as Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, and Mickey Rooney. In more recent years, it has become almost commonplace for actors in their teens or even younger to receive…
War of the War Horses: Spielberg vs National Theatre Live
Steven Spielberg adaptations tend to take on a life and message all their own. They stray from their sources in surprising (and often effective) ways. For example, if you watched the original Jurassic Park (1993), you would find Hammond transformed from the villain of Michael Crichton’s novel into a sympathetic grandfather. His original fate (an…
American Memories: The Great Depression and Cinema
I love My Man Godfrey (1936). How could you not? It has William Powell at his most suave, Carole Lombard at her most adorable. It’s got Eugene Pallette, for crying out loud. But I wouldn’t hold it up as an incisive and accurate depiction of America in the 1930s. Though it actually is one of…