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Jack Falls Interview

by Dylan Spicer

Home grown under-cover Noir-ish thriller Jack Falls is garnering much deserved attention around the indie film scene and festivals right now. It's not big budget but it's big on ambition, and so The 405 caught up with Paul Tanter, the film's writer and director, to find out a bit more about what makes Jack tick. Check out the trailer below so it all makes that bit more sense. For those not familiar with theÂ âJack...âÂ series, how would you summarise it?Â A ... (continued) [read more]

Film Vs Book #10: The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

by Dylan Spicer

This week the Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by J.R.R. Tolkien between 1954 and 1955 and directed by Peter Jackson between 2001 and 2003. Itâs hard to remember a time before The Lord of the Rings movies. They have had a colossal impact on pop culture over the last ten years, and a made a GDP level of money. The final part of the trilogy matched the record number of Oscars won, and in many ways the films are the Star Wars of the noughties - and bear in mind two of the Star... (continued) [read more]

Film Vs Book #9: The Watchmen

by Dylan Spicer

This week: Watchmen: originally written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons in 1986 and 1987, and directed by Zack Snyder in 2009. Alright, this may be cheating. But with the influx of superhero movies over the last ten years I thought it worth looking at one in detail. Will the films always be pale imitations of the originals, or the visual realisation of dreams? Watchmen looks at a group of superheroes as a potential nuclear attack threatens America. The graphic novel was... (continued) [read more]

Film Vs Book #8: A Clockwork Orange

by Dylan Spicer

This week, A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess in 1962, and directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1971. The phrase âunfilmable novelâ must surely be put to bed. It has been achieved so many times, and with great success. A good example of this is A Clockwork Orange; banned for so long on Kubrickâs request, it has still become one of cinema's classic adaptations. Its source material is now very respected, and can easily be found in book shops across the land. Admitt... (continued) [read more]

Film Vs Book #7: Fight Club

by Dylan Spicer

This week: Fight Club, written Chuck Palahniuk in 1996, and directed by David Fincher in 1999. Fight Club is the book that launched author Chuck Palahniukâs career. It follows an unnamed office worker, utterly depressed and suffering from insomnia, as he goes about rejecting the materialistic trappings of his life thanks to a man name named Tyler Durden. They establish a âFight Clubâ, an organisation where members beat each other up on a regular basis. From there it soon ... (continued) [read more]

Cowboys And Indians: Two Days in Deadwood

by Dylan Spicer

Cowboys And Indians: Two Days in Deadwood The 405 is very proud to announce that writer, director and author of our Film vs Book series Dylan Spicer has recently completed work on his first documentary. That's pretty damn cool. Read on to see what he has to say about its provenance and then watch the thing! There are hundreds, if not thousands of people across this country that dress up as Cowboys and Indians at weekends. Or Roundheads and Cavaliers. Even American G.I.s. ... (continued) [read more]

Film vs Book #6: American Psycho

by Dylan Spicer

Film vs Book #6: American Psycho This week, American Psycho, written by Brett Easton Ellis in 1991, and directed by Mary Harron in 2000. Itâs always strange to read about controversy when the dust has settled. What can lead to persecution or prosecution in its own time can seem ridiculous, and quite frankly rather twee, even twenty years later. Lady Chatterlyâs Lover, The Catcher in the Rye, even The Dandy has flirted with controversy in their time, and yet raise the is... (continued) [read more]

Film Vs Book #5: The Mist

by Dylan Spicer

This week, The Mist, originally written by Stephen King in 1980, and directed by Frank Darabont in 2007. With Frank Darabontâs new series, The Walking Dead coming out today, I thought it worthwhile to check out perhaps the least renowned of his movies, The Mist. It follows a group trapped in a supermarket as a dense fog surrounds the building. As strange creatures start to emerge, the survivors must fight for their lives and their humanity. It is based on a novella by Steph... (continued) [read more]

Film Vs. Book #3 - Jurassic Park

by Dylan Spicer

Film Vs. Book - Jurassic Park It is often said that a novel will always be superior to its adaptations, but is this really the case? This week: Jurassic Park, Written by Michael Crichton in 1990, and directed by Stephen Spielberg in 1993. It is perhaps one of the simplest pieces of literature to explain: a dinosaur theme park goes haywire. In the early nineties Jurassic Park became the summer blockbuster, and its mixture of then groundbreaking CGI and animatronics wow... (continued) [read more]

Gorno - The Slipknot of Cinema?

by Dylan Spicer

Gorno - The Slipknot of Cinema? Words: Dylan Spicer When I was at school we would often have a conversation about what music could ever be more hardcore and extreme than bands such as Slipknot, Korn and Amen. This painfully embarrassing memory serves as a perfect allegory for a genre that has come to the forefront in the last ten years: 'Gorno'. For those of you not in the know, Gorno is a sub-genre of horror that revels in violence and torture, and structures its plot ar... (continued) [read more]