I first watched A Matter of Life and Death on home video while playing truant from school in order to avoid an English lesson. I justify the crime by asserting that films don't get much more English than this 1946 fantasy from legendary filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. What's more, the movie riffs on A … Continue reading “A Matter of Life and Death”
Neolithic Board Games
'Tell me about this game,' said Talus. 'You mark out lines on the ground. Then you cross them with other lines. Each person takes a number of stones - one takes red, the other black - and you move the stones from one place to another.' Arak licked his lips, clearly excited. 'There are rules … Continue reading Neolithic Board Games
“Rush” – Heading Behind the Scenes
Regular visitors to this blog will know I've been writing about the world's best visual effects journal Cinefex for quite some time now. Well, I'm delighted to announce that now I'm writing for it. The article I'm working on will look at the visual effects of Ron Howard's new film Rush, which is scheduled for … Continue reading “Rush” – Heading Behind the Scenes
The Pudding Club
Like all true Englishmen, I like my puddings. Not desserts. Puddings. There's a big difference. Desserts are for sissies. Puddings are big, steaming affairs, mountains of sweetness constructed for stout-hearted men possessing more appetite than shame and, preferably, wearing trousers equipped with an elasticated waistband. Imagine my pleasure, therefore, when the wonderful Mrs E took … Continue reading The Pudding Club
Fishing for the Right Words
When I started out writing fiction, I thought all kinds of things were clever. Like using lots of different words. Better still, using really long ones. Like antidisestablishmentarianism (OK, maybe not that one). Over the years, my tastes have changed. Now that my hair is a little greyer and my joints are a little stiffer, … Continue reading Fishing for the Right Words
Cinefex Through the 1980s
On May 14th, 2011, I wrote my first retrospective review of Cinefex, the journal of cinematic illusions. I did it on a whim, thinking it might be fun to wade through my teetering pile of back issues, and reappraise some of those old-school visual effects in the light of modern techniques. Thus began my odyssey to … Continue reading Cinefex Through the 1980s
Revisiting Cinefex (40): Ghostbusters II, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
You need a pair of big name stars to put on the front cover of Cinefex #40. Who you gonna call? Why, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, of course, garbed as Ghostbusters and waving their nutrona wands in an image from Ivan Reitman's 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II. The supernatural vibe extends to the back cover, … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (40): Ghostbusters II, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
“Fire City” – An Interview with the Creators
Demons walk among us, but we cannot see them. That's the premise of Fire City: King of Miseries, a new short film directed by Academy Award-winner Tom Woodruff Jr. that's just premiered on DreadCentral.com. Though self-contained, King of Miseries sets the scene for a feature-length movie called Fire City: The Interpreter of Signs, for which a … Continue reading “Fire City” – An Interview with the Creators
Revisiting Cinefex (39): The Abyss
It's a shame there are no books about the making of The Abyss. I hear the behind-the-scenes stories are as enthralling as the movie itself. Wait a second ... here's issue #39 of the popular visual effects journal Cinefex and - what do you know - all 80 pages of it are devoted entirely to James … Continue reading Revisiting Cinefex (39): The Abyss
“Koyaanisqatsi”
Some films haunt you. Films like Koyaanisqatsi. What's that? You've never heard of it? Okay, I'll forgive you. I'd have missed it too, had I not tuned into BBC film critic Barry Norman's regular late night review show back in 1982. Norman's positive critique included an arresting clip from the film showing stunning timelapse footage … Continue reading “Koyaanisqatsi”
Graham Edwards – Author & Journalist 