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Hit Play: X-Men: First Class

5/22/2014

by Liam McMillen

Beginning with a crime-thriller and a fantasy film on his directorial résumé, it is safe to say that Matthew Vaughn may have already found his niche genre in the super-hero field; despite only directing four films in seven years. His first super-hero project, Kick-Ass, opened in 2010 to solid critical acclaim and a finalized gross of three times the film's ordinary $30 million dollar budget.

Two years after that, Vaughn returned with X-Men: First Class, an origins story to save the X-Men franchise after the wayward X-Men 3: The Last Stand.

Hit Play: X-Men

5/22/2014

by Melissa Haggar

With the arrival ofX-Men: Days of Future Past, it seems only fitting that we should look back at where it all started; the original X-Men film. Back in 2000, after the film rights were acquired by 20th Century Fox, X-Men (based on the legendary Marvel comics’ superheroes of the same name) catapulted onto the big screen, becoming a financial success.

This success has often been credited with the revival of the superhero movie, not to mention bringing to life many of everyone’s favourite mutant superheroes (and villains) via the silver screen.

Hit Play: My Neighbour Totoro

5/9/2014

by Jo Johnstone

Seeing as today marks the release of not simply a Studio Ghibli film, but the farewell film of maestro director Hayao Miyazaki, we look back at one of his earlier works and the incredible legacy it has spawned.

With Miyazaki's body of work, you have two sides: his more adult and philosophical style of storytelling, such as The Wind Rises; and his more childlike fable creations, such as My Neighbour Totoro. Totoro puts the audience in a world of fairytale and fantasy thats told through the eyes of children.

Hit Play: Howl's Moving Castle

5/9/2014

by Gloria Daniels-Moss

Studio Ghibli have been wowing us with their unique animated tales for decades now. Hayao Miyazaki, one of the world’s most skilled artists has provided us some truly delightful features including the 80s hit Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), the worldly popular Spirited Away (2001) and, of course, the infamous cuddly creature named Totoro (1988). One could sit there all day and harp on about any one of the man’s films or indeed any of Ghibli’s, but a film that illustrates the Studio’s charm to the nth degree is Howl’s Moving Castle.

Hit Play: Spirited Away

5/9/2014

by Cookie N Screen

Today sees the release of already critically acclaimed animated movie The Wind Rises. The Japanese cartoon is another triumph for Studio Ghibli but unfortunately the last for the master Hayao Miyazaki, who is bowing out in style. His stint heading one of the world’s most ingenious animated studios that not only rivalled Disney but exceeded it has brought us impeccable cartoons such as My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Able to convey the fierce intelligence of his characters, understand the joy of childhood and adulthood combined in an ever spinning spiralling dance of fantasy. That story is no more moving as the hugely successful Spirited Away.

Hit Play: The People vs. George Lucas

5/4/2014

by Paul Costello

George Lucas may be the single most important figure in film, or even the entirety of popular culture, with regard to what he has simultaneously given to and taken away from his fan base. As the creator of the Star Wars universe, he was the man most beloved by millions upon millions of people. The impact of those original films was unprecedented, and the success was monolithic. George Lucas instantly became one of the most important figures in entertainment. This lasted for around two decades before the much hated/debated/discussed prequel trilogy landed in cinemas in the late 1990s. From here on, the tide turned against Lucas, and the once loving and faithful masses were now calling for his head. They wanted justice, for their voice to be heard by the man they believed had forsaken them. In 2010, filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe took up this challenge and presented to the world a documentary that sought to look into this dynamic. Order in the court… this is The People vs. George Lucas

Hit Play: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

5/4/2014

by Ben Mapp

It was never going to be an easy job to write a follow-up to one of most shocking and exhilarating movies of recent memory. The Empire Strikes Back not only built beautifully on the universe introduced in A New Hope, but also took the story to the next brutal level – and unleashed upon us all a plot-twist which would forever go down in history as nothing less than iconic.

The secret was out. Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, father to Luke and former Jedi Knight during the Clone Wars. And since Padme was long dead, the only other person capable of restoring Anakin’s lost humanity was one of his children. Luke opted to take the challenge, but first he would need to reunite all of his allies who had been left scattered after the disastrous events of the previous movie.

Hit Play- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

5/4/2014

by Cookie N Screen

We are continuing our path into the epic series of Star Wars and who else is excited to talk about Episode V? I know I am. It is perhaps one of the most remembered Star Wars films, and certainly the most recited. The change in tone and the shift between characters, as well as the dramatic and cliff-hanger ending made it a sequel that trumped the original New Hope into oblivion. Though it was critically panned, garnering a lot of mixed reviews, it is now heralded as one of the best, if not the best Star Wars movie.

So without further ado, let’s kick things up with a little bit of Episode V….

Hit Play: Jeremy

5/2/2014

by Liam McMillen

Many of you will know who Mark Kermode is. You know, glasses, quiff, The Exorcist and Silent Running? (Ed: also the nations best film critic and writer.) Yeah, that’s the guy! Well anyway, if you do know him you’ll be aware of his love the hidden seventies film, Jeremy.

After all of his talk about it, I was very excited to see it and thanks to the man himself, I was able to at the Cinema Museum in London.

Hit Play: Mean Girls

4/30/2014

by Olivia Grey

Happy 10th Anniversary, Plastics! That is so fetch!

Yes, today marks the 10th anniversary of the film that perfectly captured the characteristics and stereotypes of an entire generation. First released back in 2004 with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert and Lizzy Caplan filling the main roles, Mean Girls centres around Cady Heron, who transfers from Africa following her parents recent 12-month long research trip. Originally home-schooled by her beloved parents, Cady is therefore unsure of what to expect when she finally arrives at a regular American high school called North Shore High School.

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Hit Play: X-Men: First Class

Hit Play: X-Men

Hit Play: My Neighbour Totoro

Hit Play: Howl's Moving Castle

Hit Play: Spirited Away

Hit Play: The People vs. George Lucas

Hit Play: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

Hit Play- Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

Hit Play: Jeremy

Hit Play: Mean Girls

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