Paul O'Callaghan
BFI
Germany
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Past articles by Paul:
Four things to say about Four Weddings now it’s 25
Mike Newell’s marriage of satire and gentle tragedy revitalised British film: boosting Working Title while making a star of Hugh Grant and establishing the English posho as a bankable export. It’s been with us 25 years, but has the relationship stood the test of time? → Read More
Eyes Wide Shut, 20 years on: How does Stanley Kubrick’s last testament stand up?
Of all Stanley Kubrick’s films, his swansong remains the most divisive. After a production shrouded in secrecy, the Tom Cruise-Nicole Kidman erotic drama Eyes Wide Shut opened to mixed reviews. Was Kubrick ahead of the times, or behind them? → Read More
Five trails for navigating Westworld
From Tarkovsky to Kurosawa, the world of Westworld is rich with references to the great films and directors of the past. Here are some useful signposts to point your way. → Read More
10 great unreleased films of 2017
They may have wowed critics last year, but – midway through 2018 – there's still no UK release date in sight for many 2017 festival favourites. Here are 10 that have, so far, slipped through the net. → Read More
10 great anime films of the 21st century
From Spirited Away to Your Name... here are some of the greatest Japanimation films of the century so far. → Read More
10 great films set in the Midlands
From Robin Hood to the angry young men of the British New Wave, there's much more to the Midlands at the movies than you might realise. → Read More
10 great overlooked neo-noirs
Beyond Blade Runner and Chinatown, there's a world of lesser-known modern noirs that reward rediscovery. → Read More
How The Shawshank Redemption became the internet’s favourite film
It flopped at the box office in 1994, but now sits secure at number one on the IMDb poll of greatest films ever made. What's behind the unstoppable rise of The Shawshank Redemption? → Read More
How The Shawshank Redemption became the internet’s favourite film
It flopped at the box office in 1994, but now sits secure at number one on the IMDb poll of greatest films ever made. What’s behind the unstoppable rise of The Shawshank Redemption? → Read More
Immersion island: virtual reality at the 2017 Venice Film Festival
In a 16th-century leprosarium accessible only by an antique boat, festival-goers were able to explore new interactive narratives via a wildly diverse set of entries in Venice's first VR competition, reports Paul O'Callaghan. → Read More
Venice review: Foxtrot, a savage satire of Israeli military grief and grind
Following his Venice Golden Lion winner Lebanon, Samuel Maoz extends his range with this Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize winner, playing off home-front traumas with the absurdism and rage of life on the Israeli frontline, writes Paul O’Callaghan. → Read More
The Full Monty phenomenon... 20 years on
The Full Monty might be the unlikeliest runaway success story in British cinema history. Two decades on, this Sheffield-set tale of unemployed former steel workers turned amateur strippers remains a briskly paced, bittersweet, gently amusing watch. However, I can’t shake the feeling that someone encountering it for the first time today would be a little baffled by the fact that it dethroned… → Read More
19 sun-kissed snapshots of seaside holidays in 1960s Bournemouth
Tourist hotspot is a city in bloom for sun-seekers, sportsmen, families and the foxtrot… → Read More
From Radiohead to Christopher Nolan: the influences that shaped psychodrama The Ghoul
Director Gareth Tunley reveals some of the movies, books and music that fed into his mind-bending Ben Wheatley-produced debut feature The Ghoul. → Read More
15 revealing pictures showing the Southern Railway experience 80 years ago
OK commuter: back in the 1920s Southern was a byword for train innovation and efficiency. → Read More
Five reasons to celebrate Princess Mononoke – Hayao Miyazaki’s animated masterpiece turns 20
It's 20 years since the release of one of Studio Ghibli's best-loved films, yet Princess Mononoke's influence is still being felt today. Here's why it's so special. → Read More
15 snapshots of teddy boy style and swagger in early 1970s Birmingham
A very young Chris Tarrant mixes it up with Yardley youth, who waste no time in giving him their final answer. → Read More
Where to begin with John Waters
Your next obsession: the Pope of Trash, John Waters. → Read More
Where to begin with John Waters
Your next obsession: the Pope of Trash, John Waters. → Read More
10 great films that influenced Quentin Tarantino
Every frame of a Quentin Tarantino movie demonstrates his love for cinema history, but here are 10 films that particularly helped shape the Tarantino universe. → Read More