BIFF Movie Review – Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
The broad strokes are covered and some of John’s lesser angelic qualities are glossed over a bit. His drug and alcohol addictions are touched on but are reduced in the narrative. There is however a touching memory about him quitting cold turkey related by his step daughter Antonia Andrews.
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The music in the soundtrack is well mixed, if a little repetitive as it seems the filmmakers only licensed a minimum number of track. It is great to hear JC’s music in a ...
Gifted Movie Review
Chris Evans hides his matinee idol good looks behind a scruffy beard and it’s a wise move as his compassion and intellect are what comes under close scrutiny. Few roles are written with this much humanity without dipping into unbelievable contrivances. Octavia Spencer is also very good, although it’s a bit of a shame her role is one of a cameo nature and is underwritten.
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Lindsay Duncan is excellent in a mother role that tries its best to strike a realistic ...
American Made Movie Review
Tom Cruise in one of his strongest roles in years plays Barry Seal, a pilot, government operative, drug runner and so much more. As the number of government agencies he works with add up, so does the level of insanity. The actual sequence of events in Seal’s real life differ quite a bit from the movie’s timeline but why let the truth get in the way of a good story and what a story it is.
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As a period piece, the clothes, hair and music reinforce a time that ...
The Dark Tower Movie Review
If this is tinsel town’s attempt to par down the series of eight books written by Stephen King into a more streamlined presentation, much is lost in transition. It is so thin on character development, that it is almost ghost like. If the intension was to create an on going movie franchise, it is a poor first salvo.
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In the attempt to not overwhelm the viewer with detail, the filmmakers have relied too much on the audience being familiar with the book series by ...
BIFF Movie Review – Loving Vincent
It follows the last few days and mysterious death of the artist Vincent Van Gogh and is told in an almost police procedural manner. Where the film really soars though is in its visual presentation. Over 100 artists have created a hand painted animated look done in the appropriate impressionistic style and it makes every frame a visual work of art.
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As the story evolves, there are a multitude of descriptions of the Dutch painter’s last few days and it is left up ...
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 3D Movie Review
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The film is filled with both technical flaws, like the motorcycle, young John Connor rides being a four stroke and the sound track blaring the sound of a two stroke (a completely different sounding machine) as well as lapses of logic (why not send the Terminator back earlier than modern day to stop the family line). It’s to the film credit that you just forget how preposterous the whole story line is and just enjoy the spectacle and humour. The humour is of special note as it just gets ...
Logan Lucky Movie Review
It’s also a work of two parts and while the first half struggles a bit to find its footing, in the second half, things pick up nicely. As in all good caper yarns, things are not always as they seem and the work's internal logic by film’s end is most satisfying. Soderbergh as is his way, loads the film with a heavy duty cast and it’s great to see Daniel Craig play against his usual screen persona as Joe Bang, a bleach blonde career criminal with a way with science.
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Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Movie Review
The film starts promisingly with a very clever introduction to its Galaxy wide leanings with a parade of ever more outlandish alien creatures. It brings to mind the Star Wars cafe scenes with all their variety of beings from outer space. The colour palette is also overwhelming, it’s like walking into a lolly shop with all of its over-saturated colours.
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The film’s premise is pretty straight forward but that’s where the comfort of familiarity ends. The film ...
Atomic Blonde Movie Review
The story revolves around actions set in Berlin during the last dying days of the communist separation of that city. An end that came to fruition in 1989. As is evident in all good period pieces, the fashions and social values of the day are also the stars. The film pulsates with a great eighties soundtrack that adds even more to the feel of the decade the film is set in.
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Theron as said super spy is impossibly skilled at her job and she plays it as badass as any ...
Dunkirk Movie Review
In this context, he build tension in a masterful way. The film features very little dialogue and Hans Zimmer’s score is a major player in the film’s tone and emotional impact. The tension is fierce and relentless and never loosens its grip throughout the 106 minute running time.
The horror of war is never far from view but it isn’t presented in an overly graphic or bloody way. This approach adds even more to the film’s impact because it doesn’t distance the viewer with the off ...
