Cult Classics

Before directing such crowd pleasers as 'Rocky' (1977) and 'The Karate Kid' (1984), John G. Avildsen was making his bones on the indie film circuit. He'd done a couple of not particularly noteworthy films before taking on 'Joe' in 1970. Little did he know that, despite the grim subject matter and unflinching portrayals of far right political viewpoints, this film would become a pretty significant success upon its release. It seemed to catch a wave that was bubbling at this ti

After soaring the heights with 'The French Connection' (1971) and 'The Exorcist' (1973), William Friedkin's next two efforts were considerable box office flops by comparison. This being despite the fact that one of them, 1977 classic 'Sorcerer', is one of the best films of the era. So by 1980, Friedkin found himself in the position of still being a coveted director, but his star was arguably on the decline. The fortunes of Al Pacino, on the other hand, were quite the opposite

"So I've decided to take my work back underground....to stop it falling into the wrong hands."  Before The Prodigy became a worldwide sensation, with Keith Flint becoming a cyber-punk poster boy and even your granny knowing the lyrics to "Firestarter", there was this: four maniacs from the illegal rave scene in deepest Essex. Their first album ('Experience', 1992) took the rave from the abandoned warehouses and shot it into the mainstream. Their unexpected breakout hits 'C

By 1977, William Friedkin was firmly established in the upper echelons of Hollywood. His two hits, 'The French Connection' (1971) and, most famously, 'The Exorcist' (1973) were both heralded as classics. The latter, of course, being one of the most famous films of all time. Then he wandered off to spend the next few years in five countries on three continents making his next film. The result was 'Sorcerer'.  Allow me for a moment to go on a diatribe about film consumption in

"Optimism nauseates me. It is perverse. Since man's fall, his proper position in the universe has been one of misery.” - Ignatius J. Reilly The title of this book comes from a quote by Jonathan Swift - 'When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him' - and its publication is one that you cannot help but have mixed feelings about. After all it is considered one of the greatest works of comedy ever c