Author: Sean W. Fallon

How to Reference The King: Five Great References to Stephen King in Popular Culture

How to Reference The King: Five Great References to Stephen King in Popular Culture

Posted by | Sep 13, 2017 |

Stephen King has written 56 novels and nearly 200 short stories. He has been adapted many, many times for the big and small screen and has become such a name in the horror genre that he will probably never be dethroned as the king of scary stories. He has become so ingrained in our culture that we see his influence pop up all the time in sitcoms, music videos, video games, music, literature, cookery (he has a mean cheesecake recipe), and animation. It would be impossible to list every reference to him in popular culture, so I’ve narrowed it down...

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Little Evil Wastes a Fun Premise

Little Evil Wastes a Fun Premise

Posted by | Sep 7, 2017 | , |

Overview: A man begins to believe that his stepson might be the Antichrist. Netflix; 2017; Rated TV-MA; 95 mins. Parody: The Omen is one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Its depiction of the demonic spawn of Satan in the form of an adorable/intensely creepy kid has been referenced, copied, and spoofed in myriad movies since The Omen’s release in 1976. Little Evil aims at retelling the same story but from the point of view of an overeager step-father who finds himself the guardian of a kid who can make people kill themselves and who communes through a...

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Game of Thrones Season Seven Had Epic Moments but Played it Safe

Game of Thrones Season Seven Had Epic Moments but Played it Safe

Posted by | Sep 6, 2017 | |

The final season of Game of Thrones likely won’t arrive until 2019. So how did the show leave us for that long wait? Crucially, with the cliffhanger that the White Walkers have breached the wall and are heading south as Daenerys brings her armies up north to fight them back. Cersei is pregnant and has sent her brother away. Tyrion is acting strangely. The Stark sisters have made peace over the dead body of Littlefinger. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen have consummated their season long courtship. And also, she’s his aunt. All in all, the popular reaction to season seven...

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MIFF 2017: A Gray State is Three Documentaries in One

MIFF 2017: A Gray State is Three Documentaries in One

Posted by | Sep 1, 2017 | |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: The fascinating life and tragic death of Libertarian filmmaker, David Crowley. A&E Indie Films; 2017; 90 minutes. Three Documentaries: Executive produced by Werner Herzog and directed by Erik Nelson, A Gray State is a mix of documentary sub-genres. It is a character study and the life story of central figure, David Crowley. It is a movie about making movies as we watch Crowley’s efforts to get his magnum opus...

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Watching the Music Videos of David Fincher

Watching the Music Videos of David Fincher

Posted by | Aug 30, 2017 | |

David Fincher has developed a very distinct style over the years as he has cemented himself as one of our most impressive technical filmmakers. Fincher has a great hold on characters and story, but he stands out because his mechanical, almost robotic, style of filmmaking is so recognisable and effective. His movies are distinguishable by a number of trademarks and signature moves. Fincher likes washed-out colours with lots of metallic blues and greys along with crushed blacks, which makes his movies seem as though they’re being projected to us on a piece of frozen metal. He also avoids handheld...

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MIFF 2017: Spookers is a Peek Behind the Curtain

MIFF 2017: Spookers is a Peek Behind the Curtain

Posted by | Aug 28, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: A look behind the scenes at the enormously popular haunted house attraction, Spookers. Madman Production Company; 2017; Rated-M; 90 mins New Zealand: It would seem that the popularity of last year’s Tickled has led to an interest in some of the more esoteric aspects of New Zealand culture. At Miff this year, two of the hot tickets were Pecking Order and Spookers, both documentaries that looked at interesting Kiwis...

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MIFF 2017: Pecking Order is a Warm and Fuzzy look at Poultry Pageantry

MIFF 2017: Pecking Order is a Warm and Fuzzy look at Poultry Pageantry

Posted by | Aug 22, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: A look at the competitive world of New Zealand poultry pageantry. Vendetta Films; 2017; Rated-PG; 88 mins Chickens: The world of poultry pageantry, or chicken fancying, is a hardcore world. After all, this is a competition that requires you to raise, from an egg, a chicken that will eclipse all over chickens (in New Zealand at least). The level of work required, the dedication, the number of ‘ugly’ chickens...

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MIFF 2017: Tragedy Girls is Cool, Funny, and a Little Psychotic

MIFF 2017: Tragedy Girls is Cool, Funny, and a Little Psychotic

Posted by | Aug 22, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: Two serial killer obsessed high school girls go on a killing spree to increase their web popularity. Gunpowder & Sky; 2017; Rated-R; 90 mins Horror: No other genre has the ability to reinvent itself like horror. Each year, a handful of movies come out that remind us how much fun this genre can be and how the tropes of the genre can be so easily subverted and changed. Tragedy...

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MIFF 2017: The Killing of a Sacred Deer is Deadpan Horror

MIFF 2017: The Killing of a Sacred Deer is Deadpan Horror

Posted by | Aug 18, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: A teenager’s obsession with a cardiologist leads to a mysterious illness and a terrible decision. A24; 2017; Rated-R; 109 mins Genre: Yorgos Lanthimos, more than any other writer/director working today, makes me want to be a better writer. When I watch his stuff it shows me exactly what happens when a boatload of confidence meets an abundance of creativity, and how genre is just something we use to sort...

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MIFF 2017: I Am Not a Witch is a Gorgeous Satire

MIFF 2017: I Am Not a Witch is a Gorgeous Satire

Posted by | Aug 17, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: A young girl accused of witchcraft is sent to live with a group of other supposed witches. Film4; 2017; 90 mins Beauty: I Am Not a Witch is a gorgeous movie and it knows it. Director, Rungano Nyoni is not ashamed to put beautiful images  front and center and linger upon them whether they be the foolish witch doctor’s get-up, the traditional clothes they cover the young witch Shula...

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MIFF 2017: Godspeed is Messy and Empty

MIFF 2017: Godspeed is Messy and Empty

Posted by | Aug 17, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: A drug courier travels in the taxi of an unlucky cab driver. 3 Ng Film; 2016; Rated-R; 111 mins Lost: Godspeed is a very odd movie. Not much happens in it, it jumps around in time, the narrative POV shifts from character to character, and by the end the viewer is left with the sense that either they’ve just watched a movie about something that is just out of...

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MIFF 2017: The Venerable W. is a Grim Cautionary Tale

MIFF 2017: The Venerable W. is a Grim Cautionary Tale

Posted by | Aug 8, 2017 | , |

Over the next few weeks, our writer in Melbourne, Sean W. Fallon, will be covering the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) and reviewing some of his favourite movies from the festival. Overview: A look at the conflicts between Buddhists and Muslims in Burma and the monk who has become the face of inciting racial hatred. Les Films du Losange, 2017; Rated-R; 107 mins. Hatred: The hate speech used by Ashin Wirathu (the titular W.) is incendiary, dangerous, and hard to hear. It is also talk that is so commonplace in modern society that I found myself seeing exact phrases and expressions that...

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Air Force One Still Flies High 20 Years Later

Air Force One Still Flies High 20 Years Later

Posted by | Jul 25, 2017 |

Air Force One was released twenty years ago. It is a movie that I return to every few years to see if it still holds up and each time the answer is a resounding yes. The premise is one that I’m surprised no one tried before 1997: terrorists hijack Air Force One and the only person who can stop them and take back the plane is the President of the United States. It’s such a fun premise that could have been very easily mishandled but instead produced one of the best action movies of the ‘90s and, for me,...

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New on Netflix Instant Streaming: Rogue One Is Beautiful and Bloodthirsty

New on Netflix Instant Streaming: Rogue One Is Beautiful and Bloodthirsty

Posted by | Jul 20, 2017 | , |

Originally published on December 14, 2016. Rogue One is now available on Netflix’s instant streaming service. Overview: A ragtag group of rebels try to steal the plans for the Empire’s newest weapon, The Death Star. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; 2016;  PG-13; 133 Minutes. Long Odds: Disney and Lucasfilm, much like the characters in the newest Star Wars film, had a huge mission. With their acquisition of the Star Wars brand, Disney announced a seemingly endless franchise with a new Star Wars movie every year for  the near future. Some chapters would be continuing episodes of the original saga while...

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The House is Perfect for Renting

The House is Perfect for Renting

Posted by | Jul 5, 2017 | , |

Overview: When their daughter’s college scholarship vanishes, two suburbanites decide to open their own casino. Warner Bros; 2017; Rated-R; 88 mins. It Is What It Is: The House is not trying to be anything it isn’t. It is not a movie that lives deeply in logic or realism, nor is it trying to reinvent the comedy wheel or say something about the world. It is simply an 88-minute machine for producing jokes one after another until the credits roll. The House’s premise is simple: parents need money for their kid’s college so they open their own casino. Hijinks ensue...

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