John Featherstone
banner
johnfeath.bsky.social
John Featherstone
@johnfeath.bsky.social
Writer: #TheCinemaOfCancelledStars, #Ringtone and #TheDrowningAirman.

You can also read "Robin Hood & The Stuntman Lost In Time" here: https://latereviewer.com/2024/11/26/robin-hood-the-stuntman-lost-in-time/
Pinned
I had the honour of introducing #TheAdventuresOfRobinHood (1938) at #Sheffield's Showroom Cinema as part of #ArtOfAction season.

Here, masterfully reworked as a Q&A by @latereviewer.bsky.social is what I said about one of the greatest stunt teams ever assembled...

latereviewer.com/2024/11/26/r...
Robin Hood & The Stuntman Lost In Time
Old friend and occasional site contributor John Featherstone recently introduced the classic 1938 Errol Flynn film at one of Late Reviewer’s favourite cinemas, and shared a great story and so…
latereviewer.com
Reposted by John Featherstone
The end of Yankee doodle dandy, dancing down the stairs at the white house!!!! Sublime.
November 25, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
Cagney's practically the only cast member who's acting in a sound film. Every else is still mired in the silent era. He's shockingly brilliant.
November 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
Dorothy Parker thought he was the nicest man in Hollywood.
November 24, 2025 at 8:51 AM
"He's a disgrace to the South..."

The only perfect film I've ever seen. I've been in love with it since I was 6 and taking my mum to see it on the big screen last night at the age of 43 was just incredible. Amazing.

The colours of genius don't run.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0017...
The General (1926) ⭐ 8.1 | Action, Adventure, Comedy
1h 18m | Passed
www.imdb.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
How Jean Harlow ever had a career after that performance....
November 24, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
The opening scene is brilliant. The whole thing is. But that opening!
November 24, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
I just watched this today!
November 24, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"Hangin' out in a flower shop..."

The no-holds-barred, craziest pre-Code gangster movie, a lethal cocktail of booze, grenades, Tommy guns, incest, murder and extreme violence. Slower to start than I remember but when it changes gear, it's superb.

#GatSaturday #FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0023...
Scarface (1932) ⭐ 7.7 | Action, Crime, Drama
1h 33m | PG
www.imdb.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"I ain't so tough..."

A superstar is born. You simply can't take your eyes off Cagney, the ultimate scene-stealer. He's charming, menacing, cocky and vulnerable all in one. Absolutely one of the greatest movies stars ever and a brilliant film.

#GatSaturday #FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0022...
The Public Enemy (1931) ⭐ 7.6 | Crime, Drama
1h 23m | Passed
www.imdb.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"When I get in a tight spot, I shoot my way out of it..."

A trailblazer that kicked down the doors with a great central performance from Eddie G, however, it suffers from that early talkies awkwardness and is pretty stilted in places.

#GatSaturday #FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0021...
Little Caesar (1931) ⭐ 7.2 | Action, Crime, Drama
1h 19m | Not Rated
www.imdb.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
It's #GatSaturday - me, @donny222.bsky.social and @curiodik1dik2.bsky.social working through #LittleCaesar (1931), #ThePublicEnemy (1931) and #Scarface (1932).

Tommy Guns, pineapples, speakeasies, incest, murder and booze all in their pre-Code glory.

Follow me for mini 'reviews' later, #FilmSky.
November 22, 2025 at 8:40 AM
"Hangin' out in a flower shop..."

The no-holds-barred, craziest pre-Code gangster movie, a lethal cocktail of booze, grenades, Tommy guns, incest, murder and extreme violence. Slower to start than I remember but when it changes gear, it's superb.

#GatSaturday #FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0023...
Scarface (1932) ⭐ 7.7 | Action, Crime, Drama
1h 33m | PG
www.imdb.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:29 AM
"I ain't so tough..."

A superstar is born. You simply can't take your eyes off Cagney, the ultimate scene-stealer. He's charming, menacing, cocky and vulnerable all in one. Absolutely one of the greatest movies stars ever and a brilliant film.

#GatSaturday #FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0022...
The Public Enemy (1931) ⭐ 7.6 | Crime, Drama
1h 23m | Passed
www.imdb.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:16 AM
"When I get in a tight spot, I shoot my way out of it..."

A trailblazer that kicked down the doors with a great central performance from Eddie G, however, it suffers from that early talkies awkwardness and is pretty stilted in places.

#GatSaturday #FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0021...
Little Caesar (1931) ⭐ 7.2 | Action, Crime, Drama
1h 19m | Not Rated
www.imdb.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:09 AM
It's #GatSaturday - me, @donny222.bsky.social and @curiodik1dik2.bsky.social working through #LittleCaesar (1931), #ThePublicEnemy (1931) and #Scarface (1932).

Tommy Guns, pineapples, speakeasies, incest, murder and booze all in their pre-Code glory.

Follow me for mini 'reviews' later, #FilmSky.
November 22, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
Today is #GatSaturday and in advance of a certain trilogy, here's what @latereviewer.bsky.social said about #LittleCaesar (1931).

Come back later, ##FilmSky, for more...

latereviewer.com/2023/03/08/4...
40×40: Little Caesar (1931)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. “Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?”
latereviewer.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"You shall add joy to the wedding festival by being boiled in oil..."

I don't think even Tom Cruise has climbed as much as Doug Fairbanks did. He's so kinetic in this opulent, gorgeous, action-packed fantasy that must have sent audiences wild 101 years ago.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0015...
The Thief of Bagdad (1924) ⭐ 7.7 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
2h 35m | Not Rated
www.imdb.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"There's a cute little gas chamber waiting for you, Roberts..."

Taut, tight, grim as hell story, fueled by an impending sense of doom and the inevitability of cruel fate, all shot and lit by a master. A 69-minute masterclass into how to execute film noir.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0037...
Detour (1945) ⭐ 7.3 | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
1h 6m | Approved
www.imdb.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"Must keep reading, Jenkins..."

Almost like a somber, Welsh-set version of Kes but with elocution and acting replacing the kestrel and while it's a nice story, it didn't feel particularly film-worthy, grabbing or as inspirational as it should have. Oh well.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt5171...
Mr Burton (2025) ⭐ 7.1 | Biography, Drama
2h 4m
www.imdb.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"There's nothing like taking a nice, quiet bomb apart to steady the nerves..."

I thought this would be a P&P film I'd really enjoy but apart from the bomb disposal sequence, it didn't hold my interest. I'm not sure I'll ever get the love for that pair.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0041...
The Small Back Room (1949) ⭐ 7.1 | Drama, Romance, Thriller
1h 46m | Approved
www.imdb.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"When were the British ever content to leave an enemy to his triumph?"

I bought this for my brother, a naval architect, years ago and he loved it so I was curious too. Stunning shots of the battleships but a little pedestrian for me. Admire rather than like.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0221...
The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (1927) ⭐ 7.1 | Drama, War
1h 47m
www.imdb.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Reposted by John Featherstone
"You're nothing but a shadow on film..."

Quite simply, one of the most joyous, adrenaline-fueled, endorphin-releasing movies ever made. 104 minutes of sustained genius, full of funny, classy, inventive and exhausting moments and sequences.

A masterpiece.

#FilmSky

www.imdb.com/title/tt0045...
Singin' in the Rain (1952) ⭐ 8.3 | Comedy, Musical, Romance
1h 43m | G
www.imdb.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by John Featherstone
#OTD in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered The Gettysburg Address, surely the greatest speech ever?

youtube.com/watch?v=qCXU...
The Civil War: The Gettysburg Address
YouTube video by UNUM Ken Burns
youtube.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Reposted by John Featherstone
Yeah, so I went to Here & Now at #Sheffield's Lyceum tonight and I have to be brutally honest:

It. Was. Brilliant.

#StepsSky #TheatreSky

HERE & NOW | The Steps Musical share.google/Xyoqoyl2ggeJ...
HERE & NOW | The Steps Musical
Happiness is only a heartbeat away with HERE & NOW, the hilarious and heart-warming new musical based on the songs of Steps.
share.google
November 18, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by John Featherstone
Pub quiz tonight and it had this question about #TheSting:

"Which 1970s film had characters called Henry Gondorf and Johnny Hooker?"

The lads at a nearby table found Gondorf funny and I thought, I can just about take you mocking Newman but if you start on Redford, I'm coming over there.

#FilmSky
November 16, 2025 at 9:59 PM