Mark Harrison, Author at Film Stories

Celebrating the music of the Back To The Future trilogy

by Mark Harrison | Jul 02, 2020 | Feature

We look at the role of music in the Back To The Future movies, where the 1950s is another planet but 1980s pop songs reign eternal....

Film Quiz Friday: Shark Week!

by Mark Harrison | Jun 26, 2020 | Feature

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, here are three more rounds of Friday film quizness, including sharks, evil exes, and an...

The Matrix Revolutions and its groundbreaking “Zero Hour” global release

by Mark Harrison | Jun 24, 2020 | Feature

The third Matrix movie’s Zero Hour premiere was an early example of a day-and-date global release for a major studio movie - we look back on Warner B...

Film Quiz Friday: the Big Screen to Small Screen edition

by Mark Harrison | Jun 19, 2020 | Feature

Who was The Bourne Lazenby? When did Hollywood first flush the loo? And most importantly, what’s on the telly? It’s time for another Friday film qui...

Artemis Fowl, Die Hard, and Disney’s missed opportunity

by Mark Harrison | Jun 17, 2020 | Feature

Originally billed as “Die Hard with fairies”, Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl has been ripe for a film adaptation for almost 20 years - yet things didn'...

Film Quiz Friday: Famous Last Words...

by Mark Harrison | Jun 12, 2020 | Feature

Dolly back your deckchair in astonishment! It’s time for another Friday film quiz, and some of the questions in this week’s selection come from the...

The unproduced film projects of Peter Jackson

by Mark Harrison | Jun 11, 2020 | Feature

We’ve been looking at the stories behind Peter Jackson’s unproduced films, from his Nightmare On Elm Street sequel to the long-awaited Tintin 2....

Film Quiz Friday: Blood And Ice Cream edition

by Mark Harrison | Jun 05, 2020 | Feature

How’s this for a slice of fried gold? This week’s film quiz covers Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, along with the usual mix of movie...

The High Note review - an appealing workplace drama remix

by Mark Harrison | Jun 01, 2020 | Reviews

Late Night director Nisha Ganatra shifts tempo with The High Note, an easy-going comedy-drama starring Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross, now...

Film Quiz Friday: 30 questions, cover to cover

by Mark Harrison | May 29, 2020 | Feature

How well do you know the work of our Film Stories cover stars to date? Put on your thinking caps and your trivia trousers for another Friday film...

Film Quiz Friday: Whose Tagline Is It Anyway?

by Mark Harrison | May 22, 2020 | Feature

Deep Impact or Armageddon? Just one of the questions you’ll face in this week’s Friday film quiz, the trivia scramble where no one can hear you scr...

The Coen brothers, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

The screenplays the Coen brothers wrote but didn't direct

by Mark Harrison | May 20, 2020 | Feature

As Joel and Ethan Coen’s long-gestating Scarface remake finally finds a director, we revisit their writing-only credits for filmmakers like Sam R...

Film Quiz Friday: the Too Many Elvises edition

by Mark Harrison | May 15, 2020 | Feature

It's Friday and that means it's time for some more movie quiz questions! Questions like "What's with all the Elvis questions?", probably....

The King’s Daughter: the lost Pierce Brosnan mermaid movie

by Mark Harrison | May 11, 2020 | Feature

Shelved just weeks before its release in 2015, The King's Daughter is a historical sci-fi romance starring Pierce Brosnan - and it seems to have...

The early producing credits of Michael Douglas: from Cuckoo's Nest to Starman

by Mark Harrison | May 08, 2020 | Feature, News

Once pigeonholed as the TV star son of a screen legend, Michael Douglas had to make his name in movies behind the camera first - and here's how....

Film Quiz Friday: Chris Chris Bang Bang!

by Mark Harrison | May 08, 2020 | Feature, News

It’s almost the weekend, so we’re introducing the Film Stories quiz, a few rounds of movie trivia to test your knowledge or annoy your friends and fam...

Revisiting the genre-twisting thrillers of Gregory Hoblit

by Mark Harrison | May 06, 2020 | Feature

Gregory Hoblit has directed several twisty thrillers, including Primal Fear, Frequency, and Fracture - here’s our look at an underrated and u...

Extraction review – a Netflix actioner with “oof” to spare

by Mark Harrison | Apr 27, 2020 | News, Reviews

In the Russo brothers’ latest film following Avengers: Endgame, mercenary Chris Hemsworth has to kill absolutely everybody - here’s our review of Net...

The Willoughbys review – oddball Netflix family fare

by Mark Harrison | Apr 27, 2020 | News, Reviews

Netflix and Bron’s new animated movie The Willoughbys whisks Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket up in its darkly cheerful concoction - here’s our rev...

Love Wedding Repeat review: a repetitive reception Netflix romcom

by Mark Harrison | Apr 13, 2020 | News, Reviews

Netflix’s new romantic comedy Love Wedding Repeat explores only some of the infinite possibilities of its premise - here's our review...

Bloodshot review – a Valiant, but anaemic effort

by Mark Harrison | Mar 13, 2020 | News, Reviews

Vin Diesel fronts the latest attempt to jumpstart a comics-inspired cinematic universe in the Valiant actioner Bloodshot, but is it dead on arrival?...

Onward review: Pixar does Dungeons & Dragons

by Mark Harrison | Mar 06, 2020 | News, Reviews

Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voice elven brothers on a tabletop quest for catharsis in Pixar's latest - here's our review of Onward....

The film that tempted Jack Nicholson out of retirement

by Mark Harrison | Feb 21, 2020 | Feature

It’s been 10 years since Jack Nicholson last acted, but a remake of German comedy-drama Toni Erdmann almost brought him back to the big screen....

The art of the Christopher Walken cameo

by Mark Harrison | Feb 13, 2020 | Feature

As Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton, and Dexter Fletcher have shown us, nobody does movie cameos like Christopher Walken....

Dolittle review: fantastical but fatally muddled

by Mark Harrison | Feb 07, 2020 | Reviews

Robert Downey Jr stars as Dolittle, in a film that arrives in the UK this weekend - and here's our review....

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his post-politics movie choices

by Mark Harrison | Feb 05, 2020 | Feature

Ten years after completing his tenure as the Governor of California, Arnie has split his time between sequels, team-ups, and a couple of surprises -...

Revisiting the movies of Danny DeVito as director

by Mark Harrison | Jan 29, 2020 | Feature

Best loved for his acting roles, Danny DeVito has also directed several films, including Throw Momma From The Train, The War Of The Roses, and Matilda...