5 times David Bowie’s music made the scene
David Bowie acted in his share of films, but sometimes, all he need was one song to leave an impact on a movie.
Paul Verhoeven
All Guilt, No Pleasure: ‘Showgirls’ 20 Years Later
20 years on, we look back into the funhouse mirror of Paul Verhoeven’s misunderstood camp classic.
BOOM!’s ‘Robocop’ #1 and #2 are the best ‘Robocop’ sequels we’ve ever gotten
As everyone knows, Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop is a science fiction classic, but after two terrible sequels and a middle-of-the-road reboot, the character hasn’t had much success outside the initial film. Thankfully things may be changing with BOOM! Studios’ new ongoing Robocop series by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Carlos Magno. Taking place directly after the …
Appetites: Surveying Paul Verhoeven
The Paul Verhoeven filmography screens at the TIFF Bell Lightbox through April 4th, culminating in a screening of his new “crowdsourced” film, Tricked. Common wisdom dictates that cynicism and sentimentality are carefully linked, if not outright synonymous. In filmic terms, the most comfortable formulation of that argument is to align, for instance, romantic comedies with …
‘Total Recall’ is arguably among the very best science-fiction films of the 90’s
Based on a Philip K. Dick short story (We Can Remember It for You Wholesale), Total Recall is set in a futuristic society, where “it has become scientifically possible to implant fake memories into a person’s mind, while erasing their previous identity, thus creating a fictitious persona in such that the subject believes he or she is someone else.” The filmmakers took great liberty with the original story, but, luckily Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett (respected writers of some of the greatest science fiction films), whipped up one of the best produced Hollywood screenplays of the 1990’s.
‘Imagining ‘Total Recall’ – How Verhoeven and His Team Made the Film
Based on a Philip K. Dick short story (We Can Remember It for You Wholesale), Total Recall is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s best films, and one of the best action films of the 1990’s. Under Paul Verhoeven’s frenetic direction, Total Recall is a fast-paced rush of violence, action, and humor that never, for a minute, …
‘RoboCop’ remake merely forgettable, instead of being an outright misfire
RoboCop Written by Joshua Zetumer & Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner Directed by José Padilha USA, 2014 Paul Verhoeven’s science-fiction films RoboCop and Total Recall take place in different environments and eras, but share a similarly raucous, ramshackle, satiric attitude. These films are products of their time, filled with garishly practical effects and grimy, tactile …
‘Total Recall’ ironically forgettable
Total Recall Directed by Len Wiseman Written by Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback USA, 2012 Taken on its own terms, Total Recall is a passable but not particularly dazzling sci-fi action film that survives almost entirely because its cast isn’t unpleasant to watch. But it’s hard to take this remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger …
Total Recall, why the remake?
What a dark two months it has been. After such a long absence, I began to question whether or not I’d ever have anything to write about again. To have such a passion for film, but struggle to find just one thing to write a few words on, is a terrifying thought, one that left …
Four Most Interesting Films Set On The Planet Mars
Fictional representations of Mars have been popular for over a century and with good reason. Apart from the beauty of the planet’s dramatic red colour, early scientific speculations that its surface conditions might be capable of supporting life have often inspired writers to take on either the possibility that Mars could be colonized by humans …