Philmology

In addition to the obvious, the term ‘Direct-to-DVD’ also holds a particularly derogative connotation towards those films on which it is applied. Simply put, the phrase implies that for whatever reason, any movie carrying the associated tag is not of sufficient value to warrant a cinematic release. Such assumptions however, are flawed for two primary […]

While much discussion has focussed on the overt Christian symbolism within the Narnia series, the essential concept of the earlier films seems far more Freudian in nature. In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Price Caspian the children flee their wartime reality only to encounter conflict in the magical realm. Far from offering […]

A claustrophobic thug, an elderly kleptomaniac, a marital blackmailer, crooked mattress salesman and a returned war veteran walk into an elevator and the Devil says, “I’m going to kill you all and take your souls”. As far as jokes go, it’s a lousy punch line, but you have to admit the set-up almost had you […]

The superhero narrative is traditionally founded upon a conflict of moral absolutes, a battle staged between characters defined by virtue or villainy. It’s this struggle that has provided some of popular culture’s most enduring rivalries: Superman and Lex Luthor, Batman and the Joker, and Spider-man and the Green Goblin. But as the canon of superhero […]

At the time of his death in 1966, Walt Disney was renowned as a pioneer of the American film industry: the figure responsible for introducing feature-length animation to the big screen. However, in the years since, the name Disney has come to signify something far greater in cultural terms. While remaining synonymous with the field […]

It’s taken nine years, but the climactic (or rather penultimate) confrontation between the once dormant forces of evil and now failing powers of good has finally arrived on our screens. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 opens with the ominous words of war, “These are dark times, there is no denying”. Uttered by […]

At a recent screening of Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom in Toronto, the filmmaker John Waters was prompted to remark on the similarities between Pasolini’s infamous work and Jackass 3D, the third cinematic release inspired by the MTV stunt show. Pointing to the unruly qualities of both films, Waters noted that, “all the […]

In a career that spans more than twenty movies to date, Uwe Boll is singularly renowned for one thing: his remarkable lack of talent. The German-born director with an affinity for video-game adaptations (House of the Dead, BloodRayne) has been the subject of online petitions calling for his ‘retirement’, and once fought (and defeated) a […]

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps opens with a voice-over explaining the Cambrian explosion; a period of rapid evolution that occurred around 530 million years ago. This, we’re led to believe, was the “mother of all bubbles”. There’s little doubt that for director Oliver Stone, the preface is intended as a parallel to a more recent […]

Opting for death over exile and refusing an existence lived out in silence, the Greek philosopher Socrates famously concluded that, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. Whilst Socrates seems an unlikely proponent of celebrity culture, his words take on new meaning in this era of tell-all star exposés and 24/7 paparazzi press. For ‘ex-actor’ […]