People often see the Silent Movie era with sparkling bright eyes and nolstagia as people grasped the idea of being on screen. Doe-eyed starlets would romp around or do their little flapper thing as they overtly place their hand on their forehead to feign shock. These were the people who built the world of cinema as we know it. From the romance with Hollywood to the technology they developed. The ‘dos and donts’ and the stories they inspire, Silent Movies will continue to be the Grandfathers and...

Found footage has become so repetitive that it makes me fearful of opening my own home family movies. Though Blair Witch championed it and utilized it to make it a fearful horror movie, it has been churned out repeatedly ever since. It’s infuriating because it highlights the lack of genuine ideas that are bouncing around Hollywood at the moment. Paranormal Activity, Chronicle and many more all harbour the idea that when something is great, it can be repeatedly trotted out without being...

I have a love hate relationship with Lars Von Trier. On one hand, he has created some of my favourite films that encourage the wildest of emotions – both unwarranted and surreal – and the evocative movies are unlike any other (I think we all know how I feel about Dancer In The Dark). On the other hand, he has a mouth like a freight train, bulldozing through all he has built up and slamming it to dust. He is also, in my opinion, a little pretentious. And sometimes, that comes across terribly....

Snobbery comes with all forms of art expertise. There are those who have refined their tastes, plunging to the depth of history to convulse about historical art. Debates and arguments often follow are rooted in knowledge, true, but they can regurgitate the most banal and ridiculous opinions that’ll happily dismiss someone else’s viewpoint for their smug own. I must admit, I’ve done this. I do it a lot. When someone talks about blockbusters and have no idea about the back catalogue of films, I...

Horror and thrilled are only really effective if you immerse your audience in the dark and drab atmosphere, pulling them in by the hairs of their neck and exploring the dire ends of humanity. For an on point horror film, indeed I feel much more than the other genres, each element needs to work for the frights and the entertainment to truly work. You can be shocking but you need to expand on your idea and home your message into a coherent structure that translates well enough to keep people up...