This list is all about the kinds of movies that have a spellbinding quality about them. Of course, I don’t mean moments in movies about magic. (Next time, my fellow Muggles. Next time.) I mean films with a moment of soaring uplift or cuttingly deep sentiment that captivates the viewer, a crafted connection between screen and audience. I’m talking about the perfect marriage between soundtrack and visuals; where cinematography, score, movement and direction are… Read More »

Now that all the NYE revelling is well and truly behind us, it’s now time to face the sobering reminder that end times are nigh. We now stand on the brink of the oncoming apocalypse. In no particular order, here are 12 of the best apocalyptic movies to herald ‘12 with. Sigh – if only the apocalypse could at least wait until 2015, I haven’t been waiting all this time… Read More »

What, back on this page already? This is the fifth time in an hour that you’ve read this article, you know. You seriously don’t remember any of it? Looks like you need this guide a lot more than you think you do. 6. Retrace your steps: The Hangover (2009)/ The Hangover Part II (2011) Ah, the morning after the lash before. Bleary vision, queasiness and chasms in your memory are… Read More »

For those of you seeking a brief respite from the barrage of schmaltzy holiday fare, there are plenty of subversive goodies on our Christmas Countdown to choose from; all with the holiday season as their jarringly twinkly backdrop, all lovingly gift-wrapped from us ESLF elves to you. Some are packed with machine-guns and all-round action; some look kind of terrifying; some are (literally) out of this world. Today’s movie offering,… Read More »

‘Tis the season for something Boyle-esque. While this could be taken to mean Su-Bo’s Christmas album, or possibly male burlesque – topics that merit lengthy articles in their own right – I mainly refer to the works of Danny Boyle. If, however, the prospect of apocalyptic horror/sci-fi hits (28 Days Later, Sunshine), bloodstained black comedies (Shallow Grave, A Life Less Ordinary) and potty-mouthed cult classics on drug addiction (Trainspotting) don’t… Read More »

We all know what it means when big-name retailers start using tinkly cover versions of retro classics in their adverts, and all the perfume commercials triple in telly prominence. That’s right – it’s time to start thinking about presents, people. Why not go the extra mile in delighting that movie fanatic on your Christmas list with some of these unique gift ideas? (Warning: Satisfaction of loved ones definitely not guaranteed…. Read More »

Now that we’re all wondering when Justin Timberlake will go away to make more music or, at the very least, to be in movies less crap than In Time, it seems like an apt time to address the undeniable fact that all performing artists do have a certain degree of ego. Some are probably a little more inflated than others, though, as witnessed in some notably delusional big-screen vehicles to… Read More »

Pui looks at what something as small as a cameo can do to a film.

This Halloween, forget about all the conventional horror flicks. Forget about the torture porn; the shadows flickering in the protagonist’s periphery; people being sewn together to form even longer people; the creepy Eastern-Asian girls with white nighties and matted black hair in front of their face; the discordant jolts of music that accompany all of the above. For some REAL bone-chilling, skin-crawling, genuinely disturbing fare, try these harrowing films for… Read More »