‘Strangers on a Train’ play review
Strangers on a Train is a welcome stage adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, published in 1950 and turned into a film shortly thereafter by one Alfred Hitchcock.
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Strangers on a Train is a welcome stage adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel of the same name, published in 1950 and turned into a film shortly thereafter by one Alfred Hitchcock.
Cinema is a young person’s game. How many Hollywood-produced films do you see where the main cast are all “of a certain age”? Sure, there are great roles for older actors in most films, but a whole movie of older performers? Very rare.
Ben Stiller is one of those performers who’s created such a recognisable niche in comedy that he’s almost become a genre in and of himself.
If you go and see a Ben Stiller film, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. That’s not a criticism – Stiller is an able performer, and frequently very funny. With The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, however, Stiller defies expectations and proves that he has far more strings to his bow.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth, was a very accomplished and entertaining opening chapter of this prequel trilogy, albeit an undeniably uneven one.
The Desolation of Smaug is probably superior, but suffers from a curious inverse of the problems that the first had. Luckily for Desolation, it has a dragon up its sleeve.
Legacy is one of the centre-pieces of the BBC’s Cold War season, and, after An Adventure In Space And Time, marks the second one-off film in a row that BBC Two have absolutely nailed. Legacy is a wonderful piece of work.
The Family should be good. With the talent in front of and behind the camera, it really should be good.
It should be a smart, snappy and entertaining deconstruction of the gangster movie, providing laughs, knowing references and exciting action. The Family is none of these things, and provides none of these things.
With the fervour surrounding Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary celebrations reaching fever pitch, the various specials and documentaries are fast approaching. And that’s not to mention ‘The Day of the Doctor’ itself! But amidst all the rumours of who’s returning, there’s another drama airing in celebration of the longest running science-fiction show in history that charts exactly how it ever made it to the screen in the first place.
With Thor: The Dark World hitting UK cinemas next Wednesday, CultBox joined the cast and crew in London recently where they were promoting the latest entry into the Marvel canon.
The first Thor film established that this franchise will be the whacky, fantastic and out-there branch of the Marvel super-tree (at least until Guardians of the Galaxy arrives). Not that we’re suggesting the others are grounded in gritty reality, but this one featured frost-giants, rainbow bridges, and Idris Elba in contact lenses.
Thor: The Dark World is very much an extension of that. And it’s a whole heap of fun.
Director Paul Greengrass (Green Zone, The Bourne Supremacy) has a habit of making movies that blend his documentary-maker’s sensibilities with his interest in the political situations of the day, leading to films that are both intelligent and unique twists on the action/thriller norms.