Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Movie Review
The franchise is almost universally regarded as having lost it's way with Lucas' prequels (um, Episodes I, II and III) but the truth is the series began running off the rails from the moment Lucas re-branded the first instalment of Star Wars Episode IV. This set in motion two decades of Lucas dicking with his baby, subjecting his movies to so much plastic surgery as to transform them into some kind of CGI-laden Frankenstein's monster. From simple beginnings Lucas had begun complicating Star ...
Hotel Transylvania 2 Movie Review
It was littered with mildly funny gags referencing classic horror films, blended with a modern yet ironically timeless grrrl power theme about a grown-up daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), rebelling against her old fashioned father, Dracula (Adam Sandler), for her right to make her own way in the big bad world. Drac also has to learn to accept Mavis' choice of partner; in this case, a normal human, Jonathan (Andy Samberg). Hotel Transylvania 2 goes one step further in this ethos and this turns ...
In the Heart of the Sea Movie Review
Based on the novel of the same name (author Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 non-fiction book), this template in a lesser director’s hands could have lead to a very processional outing. Howard’s film suffers from none of that limitation. The movie is a rousing edge of your seat ride that has a look and feel that takes you right into the heart of the tale of that great white monster, Moby Dick.
Chris Hemsworth leaves the fantasy world behind this time and delivers a very powerful perfor...
The Night Before Movie Review
We have a tradition around these parts in putting a concentrated effort into scaring off our guests with warped movie playlists, eggnog with only booze and no nog and a black and yellow Christmas tree (a left over cinema display from Seinfeld’s grand folly, Bee Movie). Every year we add to the Kringle cruel collection but it’s been years since a movie this f&$%ed up has joined the mad menagerie.
The Night Before has just about everything to guaranty holiday good cheer, drugs, ...
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Movie Review
In days past, films like this starred rugged, blood, sweat and guts types like Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Running Man), Sylvester Stallone (Rambo), Rutger Hauer (Wedlock) and, most notably in this case, Takeshi Kitano (Battle Royale). Indeed, the whole teenage cast of Battle Royale were more convincingly unhinged and dangerous than the pretty nubile stars of The Hunger Games who looked like they could never harm anyone.
The sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, predictably followed ...
Creed Movie Review
It first must be said that the film features some extremely graphic faux boxing footage and is not for the weak of stomach. Secondly it dips quite often into populist sentimentality. Within those constraints however, it is a very enjoyable film and mumble as he might, Stallone holds his end up quite admirably.
Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station) as Adonis Johnson is Balboa’s protégé and he really sells the role with his gym sculptured bod and obvious ring training. He isn’t your ...
The Program Movie Review
The film places a bit too much emphasis on the viewer having a working knowledge of the actual story as it introduces important characters with little or no explanation. For the uninitiated, this leads to a bit of confusion. For those familiar with the story, it’s effective film making that doesn’t slow down the pace with unneeded explanations or back-stories.
Ben Foster does a good job as Armstrong even though he doesn’t look that much like him (the archive race footage comprised ...
Secret In Their Eyes Movie Review
The acting this time around features A-list actors and includes Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor (whose name I can now both remember and pronounce!). They work very hard at selling the emotion and sorrow of what was a very tragic event and it’s hard not to be drawn into the pathos.
The trouble occurs as it so often does when the film reaches its crescendo in the last reel. The events in question cannot be mentioned here due to spoiler alerts but suffice to say the ...
Spectre Movie Review
The feeling lingers that they started with an overall direction for the Craig films but ended up taking too many diversions along the way. Some of the reveals are far from the surprise the filmmakers intended. Also extending the realism and casting Bond as more human and less the gadget guy has worked with only half of the four films. This sombre realism worked well with Casino Royale and Skyfall, less so with Quantum of Solace and Spectre.
Even though Craig is contracted for one more ...
The Last Witch Hunter Movie Review
If you can get past Diesel's quietly hilarious Norse beard, The Last Witch Hunter is a reasonably fun fantasy action thriller. It’s Middle Ages sections hark to the sword 'n' sorcery cheapies of the early eighties (The Sword and the Sorcerer, Beastmaster, Krull et al) while it's present day sections are solid Ghostbusters/Men In Black type fare with a dash of Underworld thrown in for good measure.
It's all harmless fun, though the final showdown between the good guy and the bad girl is ...
