Articles written by Daniel Stephens - Page 2

Where Knowledge Rules

What is Helium

About me - Daniel Stephens

I'm a full time writer living in England. I currently run film and culture website Strange Conversation and I'm the Editor of a construction trade magazine printed and distributed throughout the UK and Ireland. In the past I was a staff writer for the UK's

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: The Amityville Horror: 1 of 13
The Amityville Horror was a film born out of public fascination. That fascination was fuelled by post-Exorcist hysteria, that demanded haunted house flicks anchored by American history and the collapse of the American dream, with all the trappings of religious folklore and the dark side of the Catholic church. No longer woul... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: City of God (Cidade de Deus): 1 of 13
City Of God (Fernando Meirelles/Katia Lund, Brazil/France, 2002) Dir. Fernando Meirelles/Katia Lund; starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Mattheus Nachtergaele, Seu Jorge, Jefechander Suplino, Alice Braga, Emerson Gomes I've heard Fernando Meirelles and Katia L... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: The Heartbreak Kid: 1 of 10
The Heartbreak Kid (Farrelly/Farrelly, USA, 2007) Dir. Bobby Farrelly/Peter Farrelly; starring Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Jerry Stiller, Carlos Mencia I wouldn't begin to entertain the idea the team of Farrelly and Farrelly needed a hit: they've given us some of the finest slapstick comedies of the 1990s,... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: The Queen: 2 of 19
I can't say 'The Queen' particularly inspired me in any sort of way. It was a well-made drama with some nicely-placed humour, but it was also a lot like watching a very average soap-opera. It comes as little surprise it was nominated for Oscar's - it steers clear of genre sensibilities, deals with the upper-crust, and has a ... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Children of Men: 4 of 37
Children of Men (2006, USA/UK, 2006) Alfonso Cuaron's bleak but brilliant film set in a self-destructive future born out of fascist authoritarianism and humanity's loss of fertility is a damning, uncompromising picture of one possible eventuality. As a picture postcard of what a British National Party-run Britain could be, C... More..
Entertainment > Movie Genres What makes a favorite movie?: 1 of 9
What makes a favorite movie? Is a favorite film separate from that which you believe merits the accolade greatest work of cinema'? It's always kind of troubled me why Citizen Kane hasn't rushed to the top of my list of most watched films. Why it hasn't engaged me beyond its technical and historical influence, largely passing... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Be Kind, Rewind: 2 of 15
Be Kind Rewind (Michel Gondry, USA, 2008) Dir. Michel Gondry; starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Sigourney Weaver, Melanie Diaz, Irv Gooch, Chandler Parker French-born writer and director Michel Gondry had to wonder about the dichotomy inherently suffered when referencing and re-creating, quite directly,... More..
Entertainment > Movie Remakes & Adaptations Movie remakes: Comparing the original Halloween with the 2007 Halloween: 2 of 15
Aside from the great gulf in quality between John Carpenter's classic 1978 slasher and Rob Zombie's post-Scream back story-cum-remake, the new film couldn't be more different from the original. The original Halloween was a benchmark in horror. It set new standards that would become convention in movies that followed like Fri... More..
Entertainment > TV Networks & Industry They decide what we buy: Consumer demand and the American media: 2 of 14
Ron Kaufman writes, only the extremely nave believe they are not affected by television advertising.' (Kaufman, 2004) It's a bold statement but considering U.S broadcast media began out of a necessity to sell a product, it is one that deserves attention. According to Herman and McChesney, U.S broadcasting arose first as a de... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles Our interest or theirs? Celebrity and the Press: 1 of 7
It has to be taken into consideration what privacy' means in undertaking this question. As Merrill says, it's based on broad, fuzzy guidelines' where such notions at best only moderate media behavior and at worst are completely ambiguous and meaningless.' (Merrill, 1999. pg. 161) Simply accepting that celebrities are volunta... More..