Channing Tatum

  • Review: ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ takes its crazy gunplay overseas (Includes first-hand account)

    Everyone is familiar with the usual protectors, such as first responders, military and government agencies, but the fictional, secret defenders can be so much more interesting. Cloak-and-dagger codenames, classified missions, undisclosed locations, unparalleled skill, and technology most people never even dreamed could exist are just some of the elements that make this genre so attractive. For decades the Brits have had James Bond, but more recently audiences were introduced to the Kingsman. And now picking up after the terrible tragedy that concluded the first film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle takes on a new threat that will tear them apart.

  • Review: ‘Hail, Caesar!’ is a revolving door of problems needing solving (Includes first-hand account)

    For those who have more than a passing interest in film and its history, the studio system is an endless source of fascination. This long-lost age of Hollywood worked within many restraints, but it also generated some of the biggest, most impressive and critically acclaimed productions of the last 100 years, as well as the first true movie stars. The studio heads oversaw everything from the progress of each film being made to the public images of their top-performing talent. The Coen brothers‘ Hail, Caesar! finds the humour in these relationships, while also paying tribute to an era gone by.

  • Review: ‘The Hateful Eight’ takes its unique Western on the road (Includes first-hand account)

    Before brick and mortar cinemas became popular, movies and their projectionists used to travel from town to town like the circus. Going to see a film was a special event rather than something to do when you’re bored. This tradition of distinction was renewed with the creation of large-scale productions and the allure of movie stars. Moreover, people didn’t sit in the dark for three-plus hours without a bathroom, snack or cigarette break so they were built into the screening. These are the experiences writer/director Quentin Tarantino is attempting to replicate with the 70 mm roadshow version of The Hateful Eight.