Have you ever thought, we mean really thought, about Sean Penn? We have. And lo and behold one of us thinks he’s of the Parker fountain Penn of Hollywood, and the other thinks he’s just the biro that the dog has chewed and oh god someone call the vet, it’s choking.

In February of 1976 Francis Ford Coppola and his American Zoetrope production team began filming Apocalypse Now. Approximately 3 years later and reportedly some $30 million over budget the film premiered at the Cannes festival to wide critical acclaim. Now, some 30 years down the line the Vietnam epic has been lovingly restored by Coppola’s own production company and is back on the big screen. It should go without saying that for a generation of cinephiles this presents an opportunity not to be missed.

The world of film is awash with Marmite topics – actors, genres or even cinematic styles which make some movie-goers dampen their plush seats and others tear the stuffing from the punter in front. In our J’accuse series, two of Best For Film’s writers go head-to-head and debate a controversial aspect of cinema. This time round it’s the worst nightmare of every indie Japanese director – the Hollywood remake.

Director and gourmand Michael Winner has expressed his relief at the proposed closure of the UK Film Council.

The stunning London born actress Jean Simmons died at her home in California on Saturday after a long battle with lung cancer. She was most fmaous for her role in Guys and Dolls (1955) alongside Marlon Brando.

Films set in UK inner cities, addressing teenage gang violence, have grown in number over the past 5 years. The surge of these films surrounding youths involved in drugs, guns, knives and everything in between is rising. The actual purpose of films like these remains unclear, are they there to shock us? Are they made to try and deter young people from choosing certain paths in life? Or are they there to simply emulate society and highlight what’s going on?