Contributor Tom Bond

Messy bedroom with superhero-themed toys, posters, and furniture. Colourful illustration featuring a spider-web umbrella, action figures, and other playful items scattered around the room.

Dreaming Big – The greatest blockbusters of the 21st century

by Tom Bond

Twelve writers pin their colours to the tentpole in our survey of the best summer movies of the modern era.
Group of diverse female inmates in an orange uniform sitting around a table, laughing and smiling together.

Does binge culture pose a serious threat to cinema?

by Tom Bond

Streaming services are supplying quantity and quality to a rapidly growing global audience. Can cinema keep up?
A man with a beard, wearing a colourful jacket and hat, holding a bright toy gun-like object.
Long Read

How cinema is tackling Europe’s austerity crisis

by Tom Bond

Miguel Gomes, Jacques Audiard and others are capturing a shifting continental mood.
Two men in costume, one wearing a Batman-like mask and the other in a red cape, standing in the rain.

Is hype marketing destroying the movie going experience?

by Tom Bond

It’s become increasingly rare for films like Batman V Supeman: Dawn of Justice to live up to expectations.
Man with moustache holding microphone, in front of large green mask figure, people in background.
In Praise Of

How Borat became one of the defining comedies of the 21st century

by Tom Bond

Ten years ago Sacha Baron Cohen unleashed an outrageous and shocking creation – and we’re not just talking about the mankini.
A large, hulking robot with a smiling metallic face, wielding powerful weapons, stands against a vibrant orange and yellow sky.
In Praise Of

Why The Iron Giant is one of the most powerful superhero movies ever made

by Tom Bond

Brad Bird’s soaring 1999 animated feature taught us that true heroism is much more than quips and spandex.
Two people, a man and a woman, conversing intensely. The woman appears distressed, while the man has a stern expression.

‘People’s lives were taken away from them’: The reality of life on the Blacklist

by Tom Bond

Actress and director Lee Grant reflects on living through the darkest period in Hollywood’s history.
A bearded man in a tattered hooded coat, standing in a snowy, mountainous landscape.

Is this the most committed performance of all time?

by Tom Bond

Leonardo DiCaprio’s tortured turn in The Revenant reminded us of another even more astonishing showing from an A-list star.
A man with a beard, partially obscured by shadows, gazing intently at the camera.
In Praise Of

Why Revenge of the Sith is the best Star Wars movie

by Tom Bond

A life-long Star Wars fan sings the praises of the much-maligned third episode in George Lucas’ epic space saga.
An elderly man wearing glasses and a floral shirt holding a model of the character Yoda from Star Wars.

Six unsung heroes of the original Star Wars

by Tom Bond

From a Yoda look-alike to the Death Star designer, meet the talented artists who helped realise George Lucas’ vision.

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