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Popoptiq’s Sarah Lord continues her trip through Star Wars with a look at “Episode II – Attack of the Clones”

The release of  Star Wars: The Force Awakens later this month will mark the newest entry in one of the most popular science fiction movie franchises to date, the first new addition to the series in a decade. To commemorate the new film, the first one made without the involvement of George Lucas and directed by …

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Best James Bond Scenes: The Roger Moore era part 1: 1970s

It is no secret that Roger Moore holds the record as the actor who played James Bond the most, his tally an impressing 7. There are a bevy of reasons why this was the case, the most obvious being that each one of his films were massive financial successes, the only bump in the road …

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‘James Bond’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ villain, Sir Christopher Lee, dead at 93

Another acting legend has passed on. Sir Christopher Lee, known recently for his roles in Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, passed away on Sunday at the age of 93. He had gone into the hospital for some respiratory problems. Lee had a long career that included playing Dracula, Frankenstein, Count Dooku in Star Wars, Saruman in Lord …

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Hammer Horror Thursdays: ‘The Gorgon’ a memorable and unique member of the Hammer canon

In the 1950’s, at the birth of the atom age, the content of horror films shifted from the supernatural horrors like Dracula and the Wolf Man, to science-based atrocities. Frankenstein’s monster, which was a patchwork of body parts given life by the mysterious power of lightning, became the Colossus of New York, a giant robot with the brain of a brilliant scientist who goes mad. The gypsy curse that turned Lon Chaney Jr.’s Larry Talbot into a Wolf Man becomes a medical experiment that transforms Michael Landon’s Tony Rivers into a Teenaged Werewolf. The monsters were no longer mythological creatures but scientifically created horrors to reflect the place science had taken in our lives.

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Horror Cinema’s Greatest Savants

In the world of horror cinema, the best way to fight a monster-be it a supernatural, human or natural one-is with a character that possesses special knowledge and skills. These experts-recruited into battle by other characters or colliding with the conflict intentionally-are the Savants of the horror world. Examples of Savant characters include David Warner’s …

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‘The Devil Rides Out’ is one of Hammer’s best films

Released in the same year as Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Devil Rides Out was one of a number of British films during the 60’s that touched upon occult matters. Unlike Polanski’s film, Fisher’s film leans more towards melodrama – but the film is so well made – it allows its melodramatic moments to transcend easily into allegory.

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‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ a decent, if overlong, return to Middle-Earth

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Directed by Peter Jackson Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo Del Toro New Zealand and USA, 2012 Who can blame Peter Jackson for not wanting to leave Middle-Earth? His adaptation of The Lord of the Rings book series, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, was an enormously successful …

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31 Days of Horror: Hammer’s influential ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’ remains a striking work

The Curse of Frankenstein Written by Jimmy Sangster Directed by Terence Fisher UK, 1957 Having enjoyed success with the sci-fi horror film The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), the Hammer studio was keen to further exploit the apparent appeal of darker content – Quatermass had notably been one of the early recipients of the ‘X’ certificate – …

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Burton and Depp: the hits and misses of cinema’s bromance

If there was an ever a cinematic partnership to have lasted the years, it is Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Ever since Edward Scissorhands, these two seem to be each other’s go-to guys for new films. With Dark Shadows being released this week, let’s take a stroll down memory lane to see the hits (and …

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Fantasia 2011: ‘The Wicker Man’ remains vital and subversive

The Wicker Man (1973) Directed by Robin Hardy Written by Anthony Shaffer UK, 88 min. In The Wicker Man, a small island community turns to paganism as a means of coping with failing crops. Framing regression as progression, they clash with the repressed Sergeant Howie, a steadfast believer in Jesus Christ. He is investigating the …

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A Love Letter to Count Dracula

Body Count: Volume 3 Vampires are starting to make a come back, in case you haven’t noticed. Teenage girls seem to be swooning at the thought of gentlemanly “vegetarian” vampires that sparkle in the sunlight that should be burning their wretched husks to a crisp. A little while back, I did an article studying the …

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