In Bruges - Film Review

I wrote this retrospective film review on In Bruges for Spindle Magazine. In my all time top 10 movies, it's the story of hit-man Ray seeking solace and redemption in the fairy-tale town of Bruges. It blends gallows humour, incredible dialogue and several sterling performances to produce a tenderly brilliant gangster film like no other.

Read the full review up on Spindle Mag.

Film Noir Infographic

The BFI have created this beautiful infographic on What is Film Noir. Not only has it got a great overview of the genre, but the specific filmmaking techniques that imbue the style, from 'Choker' close ups to the Dutch tilt.

They rightly crowned 'Double Indemnity' the most film noir movie of all time. This classic directed by Billy Wilder is adapted from the American pulp fiction novella by James M Cain, and contains the most elements of the stark and poetic genre.

Ant-Man - Film Review

Given it’s turbulent production history and harder to sell superpowers, the fact that Ant-Man works at all on the big screen is a small triumph. 

When director Edgar Wright left the project last year over creative differences, many wrote the movie off. However Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man still zings with a zany sensibility, strong comedy performances, and a story that fully benefits from being on a smaller scale than previous Marvel properties.

Read the full review on Spindle Magazine.

Jason Starr's Cold Caller - Book Review

I'm so fickin' happy to have discovered Jason Starr. Cold Caller was his first novel, published way back in '97. It's a blackly comic tale of white collar noir and a middle-class Manhattanite's quarter-life crisis that brings new meaning to the term 'dead end job.'

You can read the full review over on Crime Fiction Lover. And hold tight for my review of his new book Savage Lane, coming soon from the sexy proof copy that's sitting on my bedside table. I say 'bedside table' I mean 'upturned box'.

Mission Impossible - Film Review

The fifth instalment of Tom Cruise's action series should've been called Mission Impossible: Rogue Charm. You can't spell 'functional' without 'fun' and what Rogue Nation lacks in originality, it makes up for with stylish stunts and boyish charm, thanks largely to the franchise's star and his dogged enthusiasm.

My first film review for the Script Lab.