dan

2025

Alien’s Lost Designs: Dan O’bannon’s Alien

Alien begins with Dan O’bannon. He wrote Alien with Ron Shusett, and worked with Ron Cobb and Chris Foss before Ridley Scott and H.R. Giger came on board. What did the world of Alien look like under Dan O’Bannon? The Planetoid, the derelict, the Space Jockey, and the Alien all...

13th April 2025

Oscar Nominations Announced

Source: Dan Loves Film After months of speculation, the nominees for the 97th Academy Awards have finally been announced, and it is unsurprising that leading the pack with a whopping 13 nominations is “Emilia Perez”. Despite being largely disliked by audiences, the problematic musical crime-drama has swept this award season topping...

24th January 2025

2024

The Wild Robot (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Chris Sanders Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames Heart-warming, undemanding and visual stunning, Dreamworks’ “The Wild Robot” is a fitting send off for the celebrated animation studio’s in-house team Rating: 4 out of 5....

21st October 2024

Dan Snow and History Hit Investigate

LONDON, 16TH OCTOBER 2024: Channel 5 has today announced a brand-new two-part series which will uncover some of the hidden stories behind one of the most recognisable buildings in the world, the Colosseum, hosted by prominent historian Dan Snow. The Colosseum with Dan Snow (w/t) is an illuminating journey around this famous ancient...

16th October 2024

Dan Curtis’ Dracula (1974)

Dracula, also known as Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Dan Curtis’ Dracula, is a 1974 British made-for-television gothic film horror film and adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. It was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, with Jack Palance in the title role. It...

25th September 2024

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Tim Burton Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monia Bellucci, Willem Dafoe After an soulless opening, Tim Burton’s long awaited “Beetlejuice” sequel springs back from the dead with a much improved second half, loaded with fittingly ghoulish gags Rating: 3 out...

9th September 2024

Top 10 Week of Aug. 26

The raunchy teen comedy Incoming ruled the school and the English Films List, claiming the top spot with 16.9M views, making it the most-watched title of the week. Glenn Close was trending all weekend for her stunning performance in Lee Daniels’ horror thriller The Deliverance, which debuted in third place...

3rd September 2024

M. Night Shyamalan Movies Ranked

Source: Dan Loves Film To mark the release of his latest movie “Trap”, I have constructed a list ranking every movie directed by Indian born American filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan to date. His career peaked incredibly early which saw huge financial and critical success in the late 90’s and early 00’s,...

21st August 2024

Life & Death in Pompeii With Dan Snow

Channel 5 have today announced a brand series fronted by eminent historian Dan Snow accompanied by ancient world specialist Jasmine Elmer – Life & Death in Pompeii with Dan Snow (w/t). This four-part series will investigate this remarkable time capsule to reveal the daily lives of real ancient Romans. The...

20th August 2024

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Mark Molloy Cast: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Kevin Bacon While it may coast on outdated 80’s cinematic nostalgia, the long dormant action franchise is revitalised thanks to an entertainingly game performance by Eddie Murphy Rating:...

8th July 2024

In a Violent Nature (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Chris Nash Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, Timothy Paul McCarthy, Lauren-Marie Taylor This serene POV slasher flick serves up plenty of imaginatively bloody kills but its tedious documentary...

6th July 2024

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Michael Sarnoski Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou While it may not recapture the originality or heart of the first film, this side project still delivers the thrills and surprising emotional beats synonymous with the horror series. Rating: 4 out of 5....

2nd July 2024

Sting (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Kiah Roache-Turner Cast: Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell, Robyn Nevin, Noni Hazelhurst, Silvia Colloca, Danny Kim, Jermaine Fowler It may not be the most ground-breaking horror flick but this arachnid creature feature is a mildly entertaining B-movie throwback Rating: 3 out of 5. Ever...

13th June 2024

Back to Black (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Sam Taylor-Johnson Cast: Marisa Abela, Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, Lesley Manville Sam Taylor-Johnson’s pedestrian Amy Winehouse biopic justly sympathises with the generational talent but never quite hits the heights that the icon’s legacy deserves Rating: 2.5 out of 5. In recent times it has appeared...

19th April 2024

Love Lies Bleeding (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Rose Glass Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, Ed Harris English filmmaker Rose Glass has now established herself as a daring visual storyteller with this pulpy and frenetic sophomore feature Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Four years ago, when the...

26th March 2024

Road House (2024)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Doug LIman Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Austin Post, Connor McGregor This modern update of the cult classic recaptures the brawn over brains appeal over the original, resulting in an incredibly dumb but surprisingly fun action flick. Rating:...

22nd March 2024

Imaginary (15)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Jeff Wadlow Cast: DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne Taegan Burns, Pyper Braun, Matthew Sato, Veronica Falcon, Betty Buckley Contrary to its title, this instantly forgettable Blumhouse horror is lacking in imagination but narrowly avoids being a total catastrophe thanks to a suitably wacky final act Rating:...

20th March 2024

Spaceman (15)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Johan Renck Cast: Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, Isabelle Rossellini, Paul Dano An uncharacteristically reserved performance from Adam Sandler provides a surprising amount of emotional weight to this otherwise drab sci-fi drama. Rating: 3 out of 5. There have been fleeting signs...

8th March 2024

Denis Villeneuve Films Ranked

Source: Dan Loves Film To celebrate the critical and commercial success of the magnificently epic Dune: Part Two, I have decided to rank the filmography of Denis Villeneuve. With the release of his ambitious sci-fi sequel this past weekend, the French-Canadian filmmaker has established himself as one of the most talented directors...

4th March 2024

Dune: Part Two (12A)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Denis Villeneuve Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem With Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve has delivered a masterclass in visual storytelling which not only improves on the...

3rd March 2024

Bob Marley: One Love (12A)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Reinaldo Marcus Green Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton Kingsley Ben-Adir excels as Bob Marley in this safe but serviceable tribute to one of the all time great music icons 2024 has been somewhat underwhelming thus far when it has come to its major...

29th February 2024

The 1st Annual DanLovesFilm Movie Awards

Source: Dan Loves Film Every year when award season comes round there is always public out cry when a number of highly regarded films and performances are overlooked by the major award bodies. Prime examples including Toni Collette and Amy Adams missing out on Oscar nominations for career best performances in “Hereditary” and “Arrival” respectively. With the 96th...

13th February 2024

The Iron Claw (15)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Sean Durkin Cast: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Lily James Zac Efron produces a career defining performance in this devastatingly powerful real-life wrestling drama For almost fifty years the film industry has continued to follow the same template when...

8th February 2024

Argylle (12A)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Matthew Vaughn Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Henry Cavill, Sofia Boutella, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson This ludicrously over-the-top spy caper remains relatively entertaining despite a convoluted plot, shoddy visual effects and a plethora of increasingly...

7th February 2024

The Holdovers (15)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Alexander Payne Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa Whilst it may not have had the emotional impact I was anticipating, Alexander Payne returns to form with this bittersweet festive dramedy Despite his work on several critically admired works over the years, I have...

5th February 2024

All of Us Strangers (15)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Andrew Haigh Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire Foy Andrew Haigh’s fantasy drama is a wonderfully acted and beautifully sombre meditation on love and loss Following the recent announcement of the Academy Award nominations for the forthcoming ceremony in March, there has been...

1st February 2024

Academy Award Nominations

Source: Dan Loves Film Here we are, after months of speculation and campaigning, AMPAS have announced the nominees for the upcoming 96th Annual Academy Awards and it is no surprise that the film with the most nominations is “Oppenheimer” with 13. It is closely followed by “Poor Things” with 11 and “Killers of the Flower...

24th January 2024

The Zone of Interest (12A)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: Jonathan Glazer Cast: Christian Friedel, Sandra Huller Jonathan Glazer’s atmospheric holocaust drama provides a harrowing insight into the lives of those responsible for committing unforgivable crimes against humanity As we approach the back end of this years award circuit, one of the films that has...

22nd January 2024

29th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards

Source: Dan Loves Film Following on from last weeks Golden Globes, the first televised award ceremony of the season, we have now had the Critics’ Choice Awards. Award season is well and truly underway with two of the major precursors The Critics’ Choice give paint a much clearer picture of...

15th January 2024

Lift (12A)

Source: Dan Loves Film Dir: F. Gary Gray Cast: Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ursula Corbero, Billy Magnussen, Jacob Batalon, Jean Reno, Sam Worthington This uninspired and painfully unfunny heist caper is the latest in a long line of generic and forgettable Netflix original movies Following my viewing of...

15th January 2024