Christopher Connor

Barry Lyndon (1975)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Screenwriters: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Ryan O’Neal, Michael Hordern, Marissa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leon Vitali, Marie Kean
Stanley Kubrick is synonymous with some of the greatest cinematic achievements of the past 70 years, be that his takes on the war genre with Paths Of Glory and Full Metal Jacket, his presentation of satire with Dr Strangelove, horror with The Shining or sci-fi with his magnum opus 2001: A Space Odyssey. 1975 saw the great...

While lockdown has caused many overseas trips to be postponed and cancelled, we have seen a rise in staycations. One of the jewels of the UK is without doubt the South West region with some exquisite coastlines and moors and an array of options to eat out at; potentially to break up a country ramble. Exeter is certainly one of the more accessible options of the South West being just a three hour drive and train journey from London, serviced by several well located stations.
Exeter has numerou...

Ranking every album from Arcade Fire!
Arcade Fire have been an imposing presence on the indie scene for close to 20 years and have developed a cult fanbase over that period with a string of acclaimed and commercially successful albums and a headline slot at Glastonbury in 2014. With such a strong pool of work to dive into it is certainly a testing task ranking the Canadian indie giants output.
5) Everything Now (2017)
This is probably the most divisive in the groups output. The shift from the...

About Schmidt (2002)
Director: Alexander Payne
Screenwriters: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney,
Comedy drama About Schmidt is director Alexander Payne’s third feature film, following on from the critically adored and criminally underseen Election released three years prior. The film sees the lauded filmmaker team up with legendary character actor Jack Nicholson, who leads the cast as the titular Warren Schmidt.
Upon release, About...

Over the years we have seen numerous remakes and adaptations of the same works. Audiences have been treated to numerous takes on the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen and many more in the pantheon of classic authors. In the past year or so we have been treated to new adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women which has been adapted for television, radio and film over the years. We have also seen fresh takes on Jane Austen’s Emma and Dicken’s David Copperfield.
Following on from the 1...

Election (1999)
Director: Alexander Payne
Screenwriters: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell, Phil Reeves
Alexander Payne’s debut feature Citizen Ruth showed that he was a filmmaker with a lot of potential ahead of him. His 2nd film, the Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick led Election, really kicked his career into its highest gear and earned a level of acclaim that would follow him through to 2013’s Nebraska. While no...

Citizen Ruth (1996)
Director: Alexander Payne
Screenwriters: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
Starring: Laura Dern, Kelly Preston, Swoosie Kurtz, Burt Reynolds, Tippi Hedren
Alexander Payne has been one of the unsung directors of the past 25 years, delivering a string of critically and commercially well received films. The most notable moments in his filmography to date are 1999’s Election, 2004’s Sideways, 2011’s The Descendants and 2013’s Nebraska, the collection covering a range of subject area...

The nominations for September’s Emmy Awards have been announced, with a host of surprise inclusions and omissions offering multiple talking points.
Netflix has shown that is truly the king of television, breaking the record previously held by HBO for the most nominations ever for a network, studio, or streaming platform with a total of 160 nominations. This year’s Emmy’s is the first since the launch of rival streaming services Apple TV and Disney+, the latter landing a surprise Drama nominat...

The Modfather continues to prove relevant after 4 decades
Label: Polydor Records
Intro.
Paul Weller has been in one of the most productive phases of a career that has just entered its 5th decade. The ex Jam and Style Council front man this month released his 4th album in the past 5 years following on from 2017’s A Kind of Revolution and 2018’s True Meanings, both of which were largely well received stripped back affairs especially True Meanings. On Sunset carries forward with this somewhat bu...

What We Do In The Shadows, based on a film of the same name in 2014, is a mockumentary series focusing on what vampires get up to in their spare time from the creative minds of Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, of ‘Flight of the Conchords’ fame. Focusing on a group of vampires in Wellington, New Zealand, the film has grossed a cult following over the years, resulting in much trepidation around the FX TV adaptation which is currently in its second series. Rest-assured, this adaptation is a ma...

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Christopher Connor.
Time Bandits (1981)
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriters: Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin
Starring: Craig Warnock, David Rappaport, Kenny Baker, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Sean Connery, Ian Holm
US-born filmmaker Terry Gilliam has had a widely varied career and has proven himself over the course of five decades to be one of the most individualistic directors working in the industry (albeit often frustratingly for...

Ennio Morricone has long been one of the most noteworthy figures in cinema, from his early work composing with lifelong friend Sergio Leone with the Dollars trilogy, through Once Upon A Time In The West to Once Upon A Time In America. The works of Leone were often defined by the involvement of Morricone, with his score for The Good The Bad And The Ugly firmly etched into the annals of cinema history as one of its most recognisable motifs. Morricone’s work throughout the Dollars trilogy acts w...

Exeter has a leading reputation as one of the top 10/15 Universities in the UK, but many may be surprised to know is that there is more to Exeter than its main Streatham campus. There are several other campuses, largest of which is the Penryn Campus based in Cornwall, and with an ever expanding field of subjects and growing student numbers, this campus is going to become more prominent. Cornwall in the summer is an absolute delight, with a host of touristy spots and off the beaten track gems ...

Haim deliver arguably strongest album to date in eclectic musical treat
Label: Polydor Records
Intro.
Haim have been a mainstay since 2013 with their critically well received debut Days Are Gone winning a host of fans and spouting tracks “The Wire” “Don’t Save Me” and “Forever”. Following a lengthy delay the band returned with 2017’s “Something To Tell You” which save for the odd moment was far more forgettable. There was an air of nervousness about the delayed 3rd album the aptly titled Woma...

Following on from a series of music biopics in recent years including Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman and the James Brown-focused Get On Up, the life of the late Aretha Franklin will be given the big screen treatment in the Jennifer Hudson-starring Respect.
Due for release in January 2021, Respect will focus on Franklin’s rise to fame, from singing in her father’s church choir to becoming one of the defining faces of Soul with a string of hits in the 60s and 70s including “I Say A Little Prayer”...