Features

Captain America Civil War
2016: Year Of The Comic Book Adaptations

Since 1989, when Batman became a mainstream film series for DC, and in 2002 when Spider-Man kicked off Marvel’s campaign, the legacy of the superhero on the silver screen has progressively grown. Particularly throughout the 21st century and through to the 2010s decade, superhero adaptations and the science fiction genre have practically dominated the Hollywood film industry, with the vast majority becoming massive commercial triumphs. We have seen a number of films released each year, and in 2016 we are awaiting a variety of superhero/comic book adaptations from Marvel, DC and others.

Jon Mikl Thor
Interview With Jon Mikl Thor: “Instead of being the Thin White Duke, or the Horror King, I would be the King Of Muscle Rock”

Between fronting various rock bands, starring in ’80s B-Movies and baring it all for dinner guests in the Aloha state, Jon Mikl Thor has been existing on the fringes of American pop culture going on 5 decades now.  The subject of the new documentary I Am Thor, my review of which you can read here, he is poised to come roaring back onto the heavy metal scene and beyond. Jon was gracious enough to take the time to speak with me about the documentary, his career, and all that lays ahead.

Chi-Raq
Diversity, Hollywood, And Awards Season

The outcry against this year’s vanilla list of contenders for the 2016 Academy Awards is reverberating across the country with Spike Lee and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting Hollywood’s most prestigious fete of the year. Even Mark Ruffalo, nominated for Spotlight, considered joining the boycott before ultimately opting to attend the award ceremony. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made an announcement on Friday regarding new diversity initiatives, but I would hardly say that they’re ‘leading’ the industry by placing some restrictions on lifetime voting and finally attempting some diversity recruiting.

The Danish Girl
Oscar Guilt: Why The Academy Rewards Those Who ‘Act Out’ Diversity

As another Hollywood award season gathers momentum, so too do its accompanying controversies and questions. Last year’s Academy Awards were remembered as much for the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite as they were for any of the achievements of film’s apparent best and brightest. This, coming the year after 2014’s Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres knowingly quipped before the Best Picture award was announced that:

FLY GIRLS: WWII Women Pilots & Crowdfunding A Forgotten History

Fly Girls is a potential mini-series about an important piece of WWII history, the largely forgotten women pilots. Some people might find it hard to believe, but there were women pilots on active service during the war. However, unlike their male counterparts they were restricted to the transportation of planes, and did not engage in air to air combat.

Meadowland
On Grief: MEADOWLAND And THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ELEANOR RIGBY

Films deal with universal emotions such as love, hate, or sadness. Some deal specifically with grief, whether it be a lover moving on, a friendship ending, or the loss of a parent. Two films in recent years, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2014) and Meadowland (2015), have dealt with the loss of a young child and the effect on the parents.

Film Inquiry Recommends: Time Travel Films

Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is focused on Time Travel films.

Top 15 2015 Inside Out
Film Inquiry’s Top 15 Movies of 2015

The cinema is under attack. Streaming services threaten the long-held monopoly that the theater has always had on new releases. Studios spend more and more money on fewer and fewer films that are bigger and bigger yet take less and less risks.

Belle
52 Films By Women: Sign The Pledge!

Last fall, Women in Film, a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, launched a new advocacy campaign, 52 Films by Women. Although female directors make up a very low percentage of those directing top grossing films (6.8% in 2014) and only four have received Academy Award nominations for directing, there are many women creating films for us to watch and enjoy.

Labyrinth Bowie
Film Inquiry Recommends: The Films of David Bowie

Over at our official Facebook page, we are currently posting daily film recommendations, with each week being a different theme. This is a collection of those recommendations! This week’s theme is focused on the cinematic work of the late singer and actor David Bowie.

Elliot Grove
Interview With Elliot Grove, Founder Of Raindance Film Festival And The British Independent Film Awards

Elliot Grove’s life should be made into a film, virtual reality’s going to be the next big thing and Sacha Baron Cohen hasn’t always been funny. Those are just three of the things I discovered when I went along to interview Grove, founder of the Raindance Film Festival and the British Independent Film Awards. Discovering Raindance I grabbed the chance to ask Grove for an interview at a recent Raindance Open House event, held to introduce filmmakers to Raindance and what it can do for them.

Film Inquiry Best of 2015
Film Inquiry’s Best Articles Of 2015

Happy new year! Although the end of 2015 was already 19 days ago, it’s never too late to reflect on what a terrific year we’ve had at Film Inquiry and highlight some of our favourite articles. We hope that in 2016 we can bring you more cinematic goodness – we’re looking forward to it!

How to Analyse Movies #6: Story & Genre - Star Wars Force Awakens
STAR WARS, THE HATEFUL EIGHT And Cinematic Comfort Food

Walking out of the theater after my opening night showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I felt like I had received a warm hug for two hours. It was comforting to see a director perfectly capture the classic energy and hope of Star Wars for the first time in thirty years.

Legend
A Guide To 2015’s Failed Oscar Bait

Every year, it is easier for audiences to grow more cynical as awards season comes ever-closer, with the plethora of middle-of-the-road “prestige pictures” being dumped by the truckload at multiplexes worldwide, to indifferent audiences who would prefer to watch a star war. For the standard movie fan, prestige season should be an embarrassment of riches, the best films of the year being released all at once like a smorgasbord of cinematic delights. But with each passing year, audiences have wised up to the cynical nature of these movies:

Joy
JOY: Are The Mixed Reviews A Fair Reflection Of David O. Russell’s Latest Creation?

Joy has certainly split the critics – but I didn’t know that when I went to see it. I like going to see films without knowing anything about them, or having any preconceptions in my mind to spoil the experience. On this occasion, I’m glad I didn’t know anything about Joy, as personally, I loved it.