Movies 1002 results

Ghost In The Shell Movie Review

Scarlett Johansson inhabits the role of Major with a fitting mechanical nonchalance that gets progressively more human as the story unfolds. Having said that, the depth of almost all the characters in this version are condensed to a fairly basic level. The film feels very Hollywood and the film’s makers could have shown a bit more trust that the modern audience can digest and enjoy more complex narratives.   //   Touching on universal truths and the themes of what ...

The LEGO Batman Movie Review

Following his success in the original Lego Movie, voice actor Will Arnett reprises his role of Batman / Bruce Wayne as he’s an excellent choice. His voice has just the right amount of wit and snark and he plays it all to the hilt. Without getting all the Batman fanboys and girl’s knickers in a bunch, the whole billionaire crime fighting playboy with a dark side gets the send up it so richly deserves and what better way to do that than with a world built on plastic pieces.   // ...

Logan Movie Review

The great thing about the Wolverine spin off films is that they're more humanist drama/action movies than they are traditional comic book adaptations. This applies even to the much-derided X-Men Origins: Wolverine. They represent a maturation of the comic book films that are freer to explore other genres outside the literally derived, primary-coloured storyboard format.   //   James Mangold's two Wolverine films - this one and its predecessor, The Wolverine - are a ...

Kong: Skull Island Movie Review

The cast is chock full of Hollywood A-Listers including a man of the moment, Tom Hiddleston, the always popular Samuel L. Jackson (in a bad guy role) and even an attempt at some form of indie cred with Brie Larson, here getting her best Lara Croft on following her star turn in Room. The other A-Lister is that big bad monkey man, who this time out is big but not so bad.   //   The locations are exotic and the sets are stunning and the emergence of the big guy is played to ...

Jasper Jones Movie Review

The story is set in a small town in Western Australia and it mirrors small town life with a loving feel. The surrounds are idyllic and its inhabitants are not portrayed as yokels but as a community with compassion but one coloured by conservatism and some degree of racism. Into this mix we focus on Charlie Bucktin (Levi Miller), a soft spoken and sensitive 14 year-old boy who is about to get pulled into a world previously unknown to him.   //   The cast is peppered with ...

T2 Trainspotting Movie Review

The main players that lived through the first film are all back and Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie are as dysfunctional as ever. The story set twenty years later borrows heavily from the novels Trainspotting and Porno. Boyle’s technique of injecting scenes from the original work gives T2 a strong and believable link to the past. This continuity does author Irvine Welsh proud.   //   The story revolves around Renton (Ewan McGregor) returning to his old stomping ...

Hidden Figures Movie Review

The story revolves around the space race of the mid-sixties and the contribution of three extraordinary female African Americans.  Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe are outstanding as the three leads and their intelligence and humour illuminates every scene they are in. Their quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) dignity show a resolve few posses.   //   The Space Race as it was called back then really was a race as the threat of communism and the fact ...

Patriots Day Movie Review

Casting Mark Wahlberg as one of the heroes of the piece seems a no brainer as it’s a role he has played time and time again. To his credit this time his portrayal of a somewhat flawed character rings truer to real life than many of his previous roles. The story revolves around the domestic terrorist bombing that occurred during the 2013 running of the Boston Marathon and the events that followed as seen through the victims, authorities as well as the perpetrator's eyes.   // ...

Split Movie Review

McAvoy is in top form and uses all the means in his substantial bag of thespian tricks. He commandingly inhabits the central character of Dennis, who suffers from multiple personality disorder. It’s a twitchy and mesmerising performance that keeps the audience in an almost constant state of unease. He accomplishes this almost entirely with physical acting that uses a minimal amount of make up and costume support.   //   The movie dips into the horror film approach ...

Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life

On the surface of it, Middle School: The Worst Years Of My Life looks like a stock tweenager movie in the mould of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. But there are layers to this film that you don't expect. Aside from the obvious Wimpy Kid influence, it also draws ideas and themes from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Shark Boy And Lava Girl, Pump Up The Volume, Dead Poet's Society and another film I shan't mention as to do so would spoil a major twist.   //   Equally, the performances in ...