Cast your mind back ten, perhaps just five years, and few people outside South Korea or dedicated cinephile circles would have known Bong Joon-ho by name. Then the 2019–20 awards season changed everything. Parasite completed an extraordinary run: it made Bong the first Korean director to win both Best Picture and Best Director at the … Read more
How a Trip to the Cinema and Harry Potter Shaped a Childhood Love of Film My childhood revolved around movies. From a very early age I was glued to the television, absorbing accents, music and stories that helped shape how I spoke and felt about the world. My parents often tell me that I would … Read more
“Everything I learnt, I learnt from the movies.” – Audrey Hepburn. Why Cinema Matters to Me Cinema is far more than entertainment—it is a lens through which I understand the world. After my family and closest friends, film is the richest and most constant part of my life. I work in casting, so my professional … Read more
Back There in the Dark You’ve been quiet for too long — the cinema, that temple of dreams and imagination, has sat with empty seats and deserted aisles. For many of us the big screen is not merely a place to watch a story unfold; it is a ritual, a communal act of wonder. We … Read more
93rd Academy Awards (2021) — Winners and Ceremony Highlights The delayed 93rd Academy Awards took place on Sunday, 25 April 2021. The ceremony combined in-person attendance in Los Angeles with remote participation from several venues worldwide. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and limited to essential guests, the event departed from the traditional Oscars format. It resembled … Read more
The Best Picture nominees at the 2021 Oscars demonstrate that, even in our darkest times, exceptional cinema can be made, shared and celebrated. The theatrical experience may have been disrupted and the industry thrown into uncertainty, but The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences still had a wealth of outstanding films to choose from—reminding … Read more
Wings (1927) Director: William A. Wellman Screenwriters: John Monk Saunders, Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton Starring: Clara Bow, Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston, El Brendel, Richard Tucker, Gary Cooper Wings stands as a landmark of early cinema: a silent-era spectacle that not only captured audiences with its daring aerial sequences but also earned … Read more
News of the World (2021) Director: Paul Greengrass Screenwriters: Paul Greengrass, Luke Davies Starring: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor, Travis Johnson, Andy Kastelic, Ray McKinnon, Mare Winningham The Western genre often leans on familiar beats: lone riders, quickdraw showdowns, and sweeping images of open plains. While those elements can be comforting and entertaining, they … Read more
This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Scott Z. Walkinshaw. Love and Monsters (2020) Director: Michael Matthews Screenwriter: Brian Duffield, Matthew Robinson Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Ariana Greenblatt, Dan Ewing Michael Matthews’ Love and Monsters arrives as a welcome refresh in the post-apocalyptic young-adult subgenre, a film that favors … Read more
“It’s a pretty dark reflection of some of the more shadowy aspects of my interior life.” A festival standout last year, Black Bear earned praise for its claustrophobic relationship drama and a powerhouse performance from Aubrey Plaza. As the film approaches its digital release in the UK, writer-director Lawrence Michael Levine discusses the personal inspirations … Read more