Alistair Owen
@alistairwriter.bsky.social
Author & Screenwriter alistairowenwriter.com
I thought it was riveting, right up there with my other favourite nuclear thrillers - WarGames, By Dawn's Early Light, and the original Fail Safe.
November 3, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I thought it was riveting, right up there with my other favourite nuclear thrillers - WarGames, By Dawn's Early Light, and the original Fail Safe.
She was sniffy about Chernobyl, too, so can safely be ignored, I think.
September 25, 2025 at 12:17 PM
She was sniffy about Chernobyl, too, so can safely be ignored, I think.
This might be a job for Rick Dalton (aka Sgt. Mike Lewis in The 14 Fists of McCluskey)...
September 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM
This might be a job for Rick Dalton (aka Sgt. Mike Lewis in The 14 Fists of McCluskey)...
I last watched this in February, in front of a crackling log burner, in a converted signal box on the former Bath to Bournemouth line. My only regret is that I forgot to bring with me the DVD of Oh, Mr Porter! for the perfect spooky railway double bill...
September 16, 2025 at 9:35 PM
I last watched this in February, in front of a crackling log burner, in a converted signal box on the former Bath to Bournemouth line. My only regret is that I forgot to bring with me the DVD of Oh, Mr Porter! for the perfect spooky railway double bill...
I thought I was the only one who had that line rattling round my head!
September 11, 2025 at 12:41 PM
I thought I was the only one who had that line rattling round my head!
An Owen family favourite. The line "When you're telling these little stories, have a point - it makes it so much more interesting for the listener!" was often heard at the dining table...
September 5, 2025 at 11:45 PM
An Owen family favourite. The line "When you're telling these little stories, have a point - it makes it so much more interesting for the listener!" was often heard at the dining table...
I always think of Buster's filing system when I write something down on a post-it note at work.
August 31, 2025 at 10:02 PM
I always think of Buster's filing system when I write something down on a post-it note at work.
It's a great script, and one of my favourite comedies, right up there with Galaxy Quest and Planes, Trains & Automobiles - and Local Hero, to which it owes a lot (Fox calling the Grady weather line from LA echoes Peter Riegert calling the phone box in Ferness from Houston).
August 25, 2025 at 9:53 PM
It's a great script, and one of my favourite comedies, right up there with Galaxy Quest and Planes, Trains & Automobiles - and Local Hero, to which it owes a lot (Fox calling the Grady weather line from LA echoes Peter Riegert calling the phone box in Ferness from Houston).
I saw at least eight of those at my then-local, the Showcase Peterborough - two of them in a double bill: T2 and Backdraft (four-and-a-half hours on a hot August day, not including break). The Rocketeer is one of my picks of the bunch, though, along with Thelma & Louise and Doc Hollwood. Happy days!
August 24, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I saw at least eight of those at my then-local, the Showcase Peterborough - two of them in a double bill: T2 and Backdraft (four-and-a-half hours on a hot August day, not including break). The Rocketeer is one of my picks of the bunch, though, along with Thelma & Louise and Doc Hollwood. Happy days!
Hampton on Hampton — Alistair Owen
Conversations with Christopher Hampton
www.alistairowenwriter.com
August 12, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Oh, for an edit function on here! But yes, I love novel and film equally but differently. Like The Remains of the Day, the film honours the novel but stands apart from it, a distinct work of art in its own right.
August 9, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Oh, for an edit function on here! But yes, I love novel and film equally but differently. Like The Remains of the Day, the film honours the novel but stands apart from it, a distinct work of art in its own right.
The Sense of an Ending. A brilliant but austere novel becomes, thanks to screenwriter Nick Payne, an equally brilliant but more expansive film. Julian Barnes himself appreciated the deftness of the adaptation.
August 9, 2025 at 5:12 PM
The Sense of an Ending. A brilliant but austere novel becomes, thanks to screenwriter Nick Payne, an equally brilliant but more expansive film. Julian Barnes himself appreciated the deftness of the adaptation.
"Bring only what fits in a carry-on bag. Checking your luggage is asking for trouble."
- William Hurt, The Accidental Tourist (1988)
- William Hurt, The Accidental Tourist (1988)
August 8, 2025 at 7:20 AM
"Bring only what fits in a carry-on bag. Checking your luggage is asking for trouble."
- William Hurt, The Accidental Tourist (1988)
- William Hurt, The Accidental Tourist (1988)
I don't think it's possible to love this film too much. Maltin's Movie Guide likens it to an entire Republic serial cut together, and seen in that light it seems not so much uneven as unconventional. It also has one of the most inventive tellings of a joke I can think of...
youtu.be/ok6H1OFTmyA?...
youtu.be/ok6H1OFTmyA?...
Capricorn One (1978) - How to Break Bad News Scene (7/11) | Movieclips
YouTube video by Movieclips
youtu.be
August 5, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I don't think it's possible to love this film too much. Maltin's Movie Guide likens it to an entire Republic serial cut together, and seen in that light it seems not so much uneven as unconventional. It also has one of the most inventive tellings of a joke I can think of...
youtu.be/ok6H1OFTmyA?...
youtu.be/ok6H1OFTmyA?...
1997, apparently. Or possibly 1988...
July 26, 2025 at 2:23 PM
1997, apparently. Or possibly 1988...
If you've seen The Deer Hunter and Heaven's Gate, and maybe Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, you'll be fine. If I've seen any of his other films, it's so long ago I can't remember them...
July 16, 2025 at 7:14 PM
If you've seen The Deer Hunter and Heaven's Gate, and maybe Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, you'll be fine. If I've seen any of his other films, it's so long ago I can't remember them...
A couple of possibilities here, both available in paperback...
www.alistairowenwriter.com/blog/favouri...
www.alistairowenwriter.com/blog/favouri...
My 3 favourite reads in 2024 — Alistair Owen
My 3 favourite reads in 2024
www.alistairowenwriter.com
July 16, 2025 at 5:58 PM
A couple of possibilities here, both available in paperback...
www.alistairowenwriter.com/blog/favouri...
www.alistairowenwriter.com/blog/favouri...
It was, and it is. Good DVD double bill with Flightplan! (both entertaining B movies)
June 14, 2025 at 7:37 PM
It was, and it is. Good DVD double bill with Flightplan! (both entertaining B movies)
One person you know know has seen and heard of Nick of Time! Red Eye basically nicked the premise without the real time conceit.
June 14, 2025 at 5:38 PM
One person you know know has seen and heard of Nick of Time! Red Eye basically nicked the premise without the real time conceit.
Particularly - but very smoothly - menacing in Narrow Margin...
June 13, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Particularly - but very smoothly - menacing in Narrow Margin...