Creator
John Patterson
Cinderella: Inspirational fairy tale for the Katy Perry generation
Cinderella is constructed as a fable that’s evergreen-familiar but slightly modernised and much more English in tone than the animated original.
How Hollywood softened us up for NSA surveillance
From "Enemy of the State" to "Eagle Eye" to "Minority Report" – US films have accustomed us to the idea that we are constantly being watched.
Tarantino, connoisseur of trash
Who cares if his new film misses the mark? Quentin Tarantino’s biggest achievement is as an advocate of trash cinema, writes John Patterson.
Canned hunting
This year’s winners of the Oscar for best picture, Joel and Ethan Coen, have never shied away from blood. They talk to John Patterson.
Into the sunset …
John Patterson reflects on the death of one of the great movie genres, the western.
The US has won the war against reality
It’s easier for the CEO of Exxon/Mobil to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a dissident documentary to be seen by the American public, argues John Patterson.
GM drives its ‘Alpha’ Hummer into the sunset
Faced with fewer buyers and soaring oil prices, General Motors has decided after a 14-year run to drive its gargantuan Hummer "Alpha" 4X4 into the sunset and shutter its…
Gayest Oscars
After the most homophobic presidential elections in American history, we are about to get the gayest Oscars ever, writes John Patterson.
Gangsta gets good
Ice Cube has turned himself into the United States’s new hero. Not bad for the man who soundtracked the Los Angeles riots, writes John Patterson.
Shabby Christmas
Billy Bob Thornton makes a perfect Santa Claus — if you like yours drunk, swearing and stained with urine. He talks to John Patterson about his most cynical and funny film yet.
Waiting for Sunrise
”The only thing I like about best-of lists is the chance to disagree with them violently, to slander their compilers’ good names and damn their souls to oblivion. If you asked…
Beautiful loser
MOVIE OF THE WEEK: I think I’ve just seen the best film of 2004 so far. And I don’t think many to come will match Wayne Kramer’s funny, melancholy and wise Las Vegas comedy-drama…
Monster mania
”For all Monster‘s flaws, Charlize Theron’s performance can’t be faulted. It is richly detailed and upsetting, and manages to retain the audience’s sympathy despite the gruesome…
‘Gimme Moore’ returns to the big screen
The attention-seeking Demi Moore has signed on to play a villain in the big-screen Charlie’s Angels, writes John Patterson.
The future is a franchise
Unfortunately, movie sequels are here to stay, writes John Patterson.