By Marty Mulrooney
It is pretty safe to say that Roald Dahl was one of the authors that sold me on reading as a young boy. Fans of Dahl will also undoubtedly know of Quentin Blake, an artist who was brilliant at perfectly capturing what Dahl had written with his superb illustrations. It was, and still very much is, a match made in heaven. A quite British match made in heaven. Continue reading
Filed under Film
By Marty Mulrooney
With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to review a great little horror film called The Mist, which was released in 2007. Based on a Stephen King novella, and directed by long-time King collaborater Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), The Mist tells the somewhat deceptively simple tale of a father and his son, stuck in a supermarket with a bunch of strangers, in an even stranger mist. Continue reading
Filed under Film
By Stewie Sutherland
I had the unique opportunity to watch the new film Astro Boy recently, purely as a member of the audience. For this statement to make sense, I have to stress that when it comes to franchises, I’m either a fan or I’m not. Growing up, Astro Boy was a show I vaguely remember as being on very early of a weekday, somewhere near the animated Abbot and Costello show.
I’m showing my age there, I’m sure (I’m 24) and I can only just remember it as something I’d run around the house singing along to when the credits came on. Being the closest thing to an Anime for the time of the late 80’s/early 90’s, Astro Boy was a classic tale of a robot boy who fought crime and evil and saved the world. I think. I can’t stress enough that I can only just remember these details. Long story short, I wasn’t that big of a fan, not when Inspector Gadget did the same job but with the legendary Don Adam’s at the helm. Continue reading
By Marty Mulrooney
I had the immense satisfaction earlier this year to see a film that not only instantly became one of my favourite science fiction films of all time, but one of my favourite films ever, period. Moon, the debut film of director Duncan Jones, is a small low-budget sci-fi film with a big heart.
Boasting a phenomenal central performance from Sam Rockwell as a lonely lunar-miner, as well as voice support from Kevin Spacey as his robotic companion, it now rivals Blade Runner (at least for me personally) as an enduring cinema classic that I will rewatch again and again for many years to come.
They don’t make sci-fi films like they used to, but Moon looks set to change that. Miniature work, a focus on smart plot development, and some very deep questions about the human condition… Moon truly is a blast from the past.
Finally, I was able to speak to director Duncan Jones over the phone for a good 20 minutes on the 21st September 2009. What follows is a recording of our full conversation, as well as a transcript to make all of the little details easier to pour over and enjoy…
Filed under Alternative Musings, Film
Martin Mulrooney
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