April 21, 2020, Posted in  Features, Reviews Comments: No comments

For those of us social distancing alone, technology is not only a conduit to reaching friends and family, it often becomes a friend or cool cousin. When lockdown rules are relaxed, it will be interesting for us lone stay-at-homers to mingle with real people again, rather than exclusively talking to faces on Zoom. I foresee awkwardness.

Technology, specifically a Roku box and my TV, enabled me to spend last Sunday with Shudder, immersing myself in independent horror cinema. By independent I don’t mean cheap, but rather imaginative, surprising and exhilarating film making.

No, Shudder are not paying me or offering a free subscription to write this. To prove it, on the Roku box cast and director details are not listed for any of the movies...

April 20, 2020, Posted in  Features Comments: No comments

WARNING: This feature discusses a key shock point in 2010’s Insidious. If you have not seen Insidious, we strongly urge you to do so before reading on. As of the publish date, in the UK the film and its sequels are available on Netflix. 

The jump scare. Cinema’s poor cousin to carefully crafted dread and suspense. Why go for atmosphere when a shrieky-faced banshee in a fright wig jumping out the shadows, while a migraine of violins crashes onto the soundtrack, will get you a decent scream?

Many films are guilty of walking this lazy path. Two that always stand out for us are 2012’s The Woman in Black and 2016’s The Conjuring 2. They should have known better…

Yet, when done well, the jump scare is a feat of filmmak...

April 18, 2020, Posted in  Podcast Comments: No comments

For multiple obvious reasons, No Time to Die has been moved back to November. But we still wanted to give you a Bond episode for April.

There were twenty-four 007 missions from which to choose, including some of the most influential films ever made. So, why did we go for Moonraker, the Bond film typically dismissed as the Star Wars rip-off with a double-taking pigeon?

The short answer is because Rob W likes it. The longer answer is, because Rob W likes it and Rob D was scared Rob W would go full-on Jaws if he didn’t get his way. That’s also the false answer.

The real reason is because Moonraker is a fascinating Bond film...

April 13, 2020, Posted in  Podcast Comments: No comments

Episode 88 sees the two Robs taking a deep dive into four films fast-tracked to home rental when Coronavirus closed cinemas.  Bloodshot, Military Wives, Emma and The Hunt. With such a mixed bag, it should be no surprise to read it’s a case of good and bad (not much ugly though). 

There is only one real stinker in the bunch, another that never quite finds the correct tone, one is an absolute blast, and another is a Top 10 of the Year contender.  But, which is which? You’ll have to listen to find out… although you may be able to guess which one will not be a candidate for best of the year lists.

The Robs are remote recording again, still sticking to the rules of social distancing. During the episode, Rob W is brought light refreshment from a family member...

April 3, 2020, Posted in  Features Comments: 2 comments

Enforced isolation can find you doing funny things. Sure, you meant to start penning that script, or picking up that clarinet, or painting that pastoral view from a cherished childhood memory. But, if you’re anything like me you find yourself watching the trailer for Tom Hanks’ upcoming World War 2 actioner Greyhound on continuous loop.

Maybe it’s because in these worrying times we will cling to any semblance of security, and who better to side with than Hollywood’s nicest man™, Tom Hanks? Not only did he (spoiler) save Private Ryan and deliver all that mail (eventually), he and wife Rita Wilson were the first high-profile stars to contract COVID-19. And thankfully, they beat it, recently returning to the US from ...

April 2, 2020, Posted in  Podcast Comments: No comments

The Robs originally planned for the first episode in April to be Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan. But, with that being another Coronavirus-related postponed movie, they thought why not go back to the 1998 version? Particularly as Rob D had not actually seen that one, despite always planning to. As a wise franchise one said, life finds a way…

So, with Disney+ handily launching the week of record, Rob Daniel & Rob Wallis took a look at the 1998 Mulan. This then turned into an epic discussion of the film, the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, Disney’s classic movies (specifically Lady and the Tramp), the success (or not) of the “live action” remakes, racial sensitivity and the wonders of Chinese action cinema. 

You’d never guess the Robs are stuck inside, would you? One of them...

March 30, 2020, Posted in  Reviews Comments: One comment

Director: Sam Ashurst

Writer: Sam Ashurst

Cast: Elf Lyons, Hazel Townsend, Dane Baptiste

Producers: Sam Ashurst, Elf Lyons

Music: Lottie Depresstival

Cinematography: Sam Ashurst

Editor: Sam Ashurst

Cert: 18 (TBC)

Running time: 76mins

Year: 2020

What’s the story: Film director Stanley Durall (Ashurst) records an audio commentary to accompany his once-banned debut film, God’s Lonely Woman, plus interspersed behind-the-scenes footage. As Durall recounts the shoot, disturbing revelations come to light.

What’s the verdict: After his memorable debut Frankenstein’s Creature, Sam Ashurst again proves large budgets are not required to produce exciting cinema, and that good ideas are free.

Channeling the spirit of 70s Euro-horror...

March 30, 2020, Posted in  Features Comments: No comments

Back in 2018, we were lucky enough to talk with director Sam Ashurst about his debut feature, Frankenstein’s Creature. That film is a singular experience and left us excited for what Ashurst would deliver next.

We are happy to report then that his follow-up film, A Little More Flesh, does not disappoint. A dazzling black comedy whose laughs often freeze in the throat, it tackles issues around the abuse of women in the film industry, and skewers the once-tacitly approved view of directors’ unacceptable behaviour as simply being artists at work.

A film-within-a-film movie, A Little More Flesh unfolds as a director recording an audio commentary for his first feature, a once-banned slice of 70s porn entitled God’s L...

March 24, 2020, Posted in  Podcast Comments: No comments

Episode 86 of The Movie Robcast sees the Robs remote recording. Abiding by social distancing measures, they’re in their respective abodes, but that doesn’t stop them from covering a wide range of movie topics and other affairs of state.

Unsurprisingly, top of the list is the Coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 took quite a turn for the dramatic since the last episode, with first cinemas and theatres closing, then pubs and restaurants, then the whole country being put into lockdown.

So, Contagion and Outbreak are part of the discussion, along with thoughts on what will happen to cinema releases if the pandemic stretches into the summer.

It’s not all doom and gloom though...

March 16, 2020, Posted in  Podcast Comments: No comments

In episode 85 of The Movie Robcast, Robs Daniel and Wallis go on an epic journey while reviewing Pixar’s Onward.

Well, they’re outside in the middle of London again as Rob Wallis is on his lunchbreak and they have to find shelter because it starts raining. It seemed epic at the time.

As they are discussing a fantasy movie, Rob W has opportunity to bust out his Gollum impersonation. It really is something rather special.

Conversation inevitably moves onto the impact of the Coronavirus. As this was recorded on March 11th, the Robs still think Disney’s live-action Mulan will be the next movie they cover. The beautiful fools...