SPECTRE: It Could Have Been Great

We’ve seen Bond undergo a lot of changes for over fifty years: the globe-trotting playboy whose license to kill spared no evil doer or anonymous henchman. James Bond, the catalyst of Ian Fleming’s romanticized panorama of espionage, grew from fiction novels to a film series that would become a cinematic phenomenon spanning over fifty years.

Movies Opening in Cinemas On November 13

Every week Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: By The Sea, The 33, Love The Coopers, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, James White, Entertainment, Ingrid Bergman In Her Own Words, My All American and Kilo Two Bravo.

Film Inquiry Recommends: Great Revenge Films

Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is great revenge films from all over the world.

BURNT: Undercooked

The fast-paced life of the food industry is a modern miracle that is rarely appreciated. Any waiter or cook will tell you that no matter the level of industry, be it a McDonald’s or a steakhouse, creating food quickly and to customer satisfaction is a daunting task. Burnt attempts to take this one step further by exploring the mind of someone who loves the fast-paced nature of the business.

London Has Fallen
LONDON HAS FALLEN Trailer

After the mysterious death of the British Prime Minister, all the leaders of the Western world attend his funeral. What was considered the most protected event in the world turns into a horrific mess. Now, a formidable secret service agent, an MI-6 agent, and the president of the United States are the only hope anyone has of stopping the wanton violence.

American Ultra
AMERICAN ULTRA: Not the Promised High

American Ultra is one of those films that sounds really good on paper and even executes well at first, but quickly loses its luster after the quirkiness of its original premise wears off. In this case, its uniqueness comes from the idea of a stoner being a sleeper agent for the government. “Original” might be a little generous, as the film is adapted from the graphic novel of the same name; nevertheless it is something new to the screen, and it stays fun while it continues to feel that way.

A Simple Life
Microfilms May Be Small, But They’re Having A Big Impact

My home city of Nottingham recently hosted its first International Microfilm Festival, and through my day job, I was involved with one of the winning shorts from the documentary category. To be honest, before the festival, I hadn’t really heard of microfilm, so I was definitely curious to find out more. In this article, I’ll explore what microfilm is, and what makes them different to short films.

Film Inquiry Recommends: Non-Leone Spaghetti Westerns

Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is Spaghetti Westerns that weren’t directed by the legendary Sergio Leone.

Hollywood- Image source unknown
The Charge For Equality – Women Directors

The revolution is here— We are in the midst of a global revolution for female empowerment and equality. This movement has been building for some years, and the new efforts for women directors have added great momentum to the cause. The campaign and ongoing support for women directors starting 2013 by the ACLU has now led to an industry-wide investigation.

Our Lad
OUR LAD: A Compelling Insight Into A Minority Community

Watch Our Lad here. Our Lad, brought lovingly to life by director Rachna Suri, is a compelling insight into a British Muslim community and the conflict between two brothers. The short film stars Shazad Latif (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) as a young Muslim soldier returning from Afghanistan to an antagonistic brother and community.

Applesauce
APPLESAUCE Trailer

In Onur Tukel’s Applesauce, Ron (also played by Tukel) calls into a sketchy radio show, where they are talking about “the worst thing they’ve ever done”. Before Ron admits to the worst thing he’s ever done on-air, he’s interrupted. Later at dinner, the story still comes out, and he soon starts receiving packages containing…

THE PROGRAM: A Racing Drama That Doesn’t Know When To Stop

I’m a big fan of a well-made sports biopic. Not being very athletic myself but fascinated with the world of sports science and laws of probability, I find I have a great interest in ‘the field’. That is why I was very excited to see that a biopic was being made of Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal and much heralded fall from grace.

Amicus Anthology Films: Tales of Terror

Amicus Studios had the reputation for being the rival studio to England’s famed horror factory Hammer studios throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. While that may be true in some respects, Amicus also had the goods to make some truly enjoyable horror anthologies that managed to be both entertaining and scary. As a devout fan of Hammer studios, it feels nearly traitorous to be praising their rival Amicus, but to ignore their body of work would just be flat out ignorant, as Amicus proved to be a formidable rivalry to the house of horrors that Hammer was known for.

The Assassin
THE ASSASSIN Trailer

I have a philosophy on assassination. Put your index finger (washed beforehand) on your lips and say “Shhh!”.

A Girl Escaped: Jailed Women In 21st Century Cinema
ROOM: An Intimately Moving Film

The tale of survival is a common one in the world of film. These stories present harrowing experiences that an individual or group must overcome before finally seeking rescue by the end. What these films rarely discuss, though, is the aftermath of the experience: