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Sunshine - R
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Danny Boyle's homage to the serious sci-fi greats is a visually stunning thriller that, like 28 Days Later, is based on a simple but intriguing premise that allows for social commentary and moral quandries. The visual effects, cinematography and set design are superb, elevating the film to the lofty heights of 2001 and Alien that Boyle aspires to whilst managing to give the film a fresh look that doesn't feel recycled from those landmark films. Casting is spot on, each actor turning in solid performances in amongst the wall-to-wall jargon inherent in this genre - surprisingly it's Evans that stands out in the ensemble, despite his character being the least likable. So why no glowing five stars above this review? Well, for the first hour, the film is a genuinely tense and thoughtful thriller bordering on masterpiece that succeeds in making space feel dangerous for the first time in what feels like forever. However, in the last act it downshifts into a standard stalk-and-slash routine that smacks of Alex Garner's script gleefully plaguerising the last thirty minutes of Alien and fusing it with the latter day horror rubbish vomiting it's way into mutliplexes over the last five years or so. Sure, it's photographed in a gimicky out-of-focus way and there's a few more nice moments to be had (including a solid downbeat ending) but you ultimately leave the movie feeling cheated. If only it hadn't started so well...
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October 24, 2008
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N/A
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Michael Clayton - R
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As a fan of Clooney generally, and Tony Gilroy's skillfull manipulation of the Bourne reboot, I was eager to see this film and it is a feast for drama fans. The cast is excellent; Clooney's self-destructive, world weary protagonist is a nice mirror of his Three Kings role earlier in his career; Swinton is, as always, excellent and highly watchable; and Wilkinson lends his likeable theatrics to another of his larger-than-life characters. Gilroy's direction is good also, the tight underplayed dialogue full of meaningful glances and cutaways, although the films pacing is a little meandering and the flashback format is ultimately unnecessary. It's a shame then, that the film feels so hollow throughout and even the titular character's victory doesn't seem to satisfy him all that much in the same way that it doesn't satisfy the audience. There's never any doubt in your mind that Clooney will come out on top from the outset, but the road travelled to that victiory should be more gripping and the revelation that corporations are greedy thug-like entities that will stop at nothing to get their way is not news in today's climate. On the whole, the film is very enjoyable but should be so much more, justifying all those Oscar nominations, and feels a little like it was made ten years too late, losing any of it's shock value.
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October 24, 2008
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N/A
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Inside Man - R
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September 4, 2008
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N/A
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Renaissance - R
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September 4, 2008
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N/A
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The Dark Knight - PG-13
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Nolan cements his reputation as one of mainstream Hollywood's most prolific film-makers with this outstanding tribute to the Batman mythos. Uncompromising in terms of Nolan's epic vision and the dark tone he affords the movie, TDK is a serious-minded, child unfriendly meditation on the themes of escalation and security versus personal freedom that, despite it's certificate, pulls no punches and is genuinely unsettling throughout. Like any of the great Batman comics, the Dark Knight is portrayed as more of an anti-hero who, although dedicated to combatting crime, is unable prevent his presence attracting the very criminals he strives to rid Gotham of. Ledger's Joker is the perfect nemesis for this contemporary re-telling of Batman, for the first time highlighting the fact that Gotham's shadowy protector is just as psychotic as himself, albeit a more benevolent, restrained version. Although Ledger is provided with the character, dialogue and actions to steal every scene he's in, his performance isn't as complacent as that of Jack Nicholson and he creates a villain that is in turns hilarious and hideous, armed with a horrifyingly compelling Tyler Durden-esque plan designed to break Gotham. Eckhart deserves kudos for playing a memorable villain also, successfully underplaying him while The Joker goes for the bombast. His Harvey Dent is a likable rogue - charming and arrogant - that masks the brooding angry thug that will manifest itself as Two-Face in the last act of the film. TDK does exactly what a sequel should do - takes the good parts from the original film and expands upon them to elevate the franchise to the heights of greatness that few other comic book films will be able to match. Sure it's got things wrong with it but what summer blockbuster hasn't? Any flaws are minor compared to the overall product.
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September 4, 2008
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N/A
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Batman Begins - PG-13
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July 18, 2008
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N/A
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Speed - R
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July 18, 2008
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N/A
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Iron Man - PG-13
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On paper this film should have sunk without a trace. Sure, it's got great visuals, action, known A-list stars, etc, but it's a comic book film about a character the audience has largely never heard of. Let's face it, unless you're Batman, Superman or Spider-man all the CG in the world won't give you that goldmine opening weekend that the studios crave so badly. So it's a testament to Downey Jr and Favreau that the film is not only a success but is a stupidly entertaining success to boot, producing a film that while sounding silly (all comic book films do) succesfully pitches it at kids and adults alike. Downey Jr is brilliant as Stark, even managing to out Bruce Wayne Bruce Wayne in the billionaire playboy stakes and cleverly pitching the character as the man playing at being a superhero and not vice-versa as we've come to know through Nolan's Batman films. The supporting cast are equally as good, especially Palltrow who manages to cast aside any stereotypically weak and helpless action movie heroine tendencies until the last act. Strangely enough, it is the titular Iron Man that is the let down of the piece. Although Favreau is clever enough to incorporate talking-head footage of Stark in the suit, whenever Downey Jr disappears into the armour the film drops down a gear. It's clear that Favreau isn't an action director, so he hasn't installed any of the cliched but necessary action beats that make a truly great popcorn movie, leading to a lacklustre fight at the conlusion of the film. Nevertheless, this is a really fun film that should hopefully spawn a superior sequel.
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July 17, 2008
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N/A
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The Kingdom - R
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This is a highly entertaining thriller with an interesting and relevant premise that successfully humanises both sides of the War on Terror and highlights the self perpetuating cycle of violence that sustains it. Oddly though, the film loses it's gritty teeth during the climax and leaves you with a conclusion that, while salient, is strangely hollow because of this. Slickly directed by Peter Berg, and full of the burnt out/saturated handheld camerwork you would find in any Michael Mann movie (no surprise then that he's one of the producers), this is still a well-acted and thought-provoking mainstream film that's worth a look.
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July 17, 2008
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N/A
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Zodiac - R
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July 24, 2007
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N/A
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The Simpsons Movie - PG-13
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July 24, 2007
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N/A
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Transformers - PG-13
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I'd like to start this review in the same way as Dan Brown starts his books - with a couple of facts. Fact: Michael Bay is the most successful peddler of vacuous popcorn entertainment in modern cinema - he's an MTV director with a lot of money to play with. Fact: Transformers was a cartoon/comic based on a toy line of a bunch of oversize robots who could disguise themselves as vechicles or everyday objects when they weren't knocking seven bells out of each other. Consider these facts carefully before watching this movie because this is strictly 'leave your brains at the door' entertainment. And it is entertaining, providing you're not expecting anything other than a Bruckheimer movie. Unfortunately, this is where the disappointment creeps in because it's nigh on impossible to see what Spielberg's involvement has been other than turning up for his paycheck. There doesn't seem to be any tempering of Bay's 'direction' or style and it really is a testament to Bruckheimer at how well trained his pet helmer is that you can feel the big man's presence even when he's not there. For cinema-goers looking for a subtle plot weaving together disparate themes to terminate in a satisfying climax, see the two facts above: this is a movie about big robots hitting each other. Hard. And it's got that in spades. The CGI in this film is utterly breathtaking and the best use of it to date. The Autobots and Decepticons all look and feel realistic, complicated and damn big. There's a really dynamic feel to them as they very rarely stop and transform, it's mostly done moving at high speed and looks gobsmacking. A special nod should go to the sound engineering also as it truly makes the cinema experience worthwhile, from Blackout's eerie howling at the start of the flick to the cacophonous grinding of metal as each robot transforms, the sound is exceptional. Blockbuster movies are about spectacle and this film truly delivers in that department. Sure, it would've been nice to have a tighter script and a better story but they said that about Independance Day and that didn't do too shabbily at the Box Office either...
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July 24, 2007
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N/A
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The Bourne Identity - PG-13
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Possibly one of the best espionage thrillers of recent memory and directly responsible for giving 007 a kick up the arse after the truly rank Die Another Day, Bourne is a fresh and clever update of a 25-year-old book that proved Damon has not only the chops to be an action star but the talent to be a credible actor. Doug Liman's unconventional, stripped down directing style is perfect for this gritty chase movie that is engrossing from start to finish while Damon is the linchpin of the piece, engaging the audience with the subtleties of his character's fractured mind. Bone-crunching, no-frills action sequences and almost deadpan spyspeak dialogue add to the film's (and indeed the franchise's) appeal, carving out a memorable niche between the James Bonds and Ethan Hunts to create a highly entertaining and satisfying thriller that has much replay value. See it and Supremacy before Ultimatum is released this summer!
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July 8, 2007
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N/A
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Live Free or Die Hard - PG-13
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Having dreaded this sequel for about 10 years, the result is in fact surprisingly enjoyable. Willis is still able to pull off the tough-as-nails ordinary guy in extraordinary circumstances role, Wiseman proves that as long as he's not involved in the script process he can make a fast-paced action-packed thriller (take note Paul WS Anderson) and it's head and shoulders above all the sequels released so far this summer. But, more importantly, where does this sit in the Die Hard Cannon? There's a lot of banter round the camp fire that this is better than Die Harder which I would argue against for two reasons; firstly, DH2 was made to be a 15 and fits that certification well in terms of violence and language while 4.0 was made to be a 12A that couldn't pass for it and was shipped out to multiplexes unchanged (hence, 3.5 stars and not 4). Secondly, 4.0 suffers from almost exactly the same problems as DH2 - namely, less polished (and in some scenes almost perfunctory) dialogue, a strangely characterless villain who makes up for his lack of charisma by being even more ruthless, and a sense of the formulaic - no amount of slick direction can detract from a conveyor belt of set pieces rumbling inevitably towards the final denoument. That having said, 4.0 is enormously enjoyable popcorn fun with great action scenes and a clever, relevant premise that will do well out of a director's cut or extended edition DVD release. A worthy addition to a very select club - movie franchises that contain good movies thoughout...
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July 6, 2007
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N/A
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The Departed - R
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Scorsese returns to form as he returns to what he knows best: modern-day gangster drama. While Nicholson is excellent as the mafia kingpin (although not over-acting for a change), due credit has to be given to both Damon and Di Caprio for shouldering the film as they effortlessly portray shadowy reflections of the other in a deadly game of cat and mouse... [to be continued]
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May 11, 2007
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N/A
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Runaway Jury - PG-13
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May 11, 2007
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N/A
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Spider-Man 3 - PG-13
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Ever since the credits rolled on Spider-man 2, I've been almost embarassingly excited about the third instalment but, while it's no where near a terrible film, it has emerged as the Spider-man: Revolutions of the trilogy; thrilling and frustrating in equal measure. While Batman's Forever and the other one can be criticised for having no plot and too many villains, Spidey 3 suffers from too much plot and too many villains, reducing great characters such as the Sandman and Venom to cameos in the movie that trailers have spent a year telling us is all about them. It looks as if the film started out rounding off Harry Osborne's character arc by finally having him confront Peter as the Green Goblin Mk II, Raimi and co have perhaps thought that that's too similar to the first film and they've spliced in The Sandman to spice it up. Fair enough (albeit the Uncle Ben tie-in is completely unecessary). Cut to a few months into the production and Sony have demanded that Venom make an appearance, the result being a complicated juggling act that Raimi just can't sustain. Although longer than the previous films, a good 40 minutes extra would be required to tell all the back-stories that Raimi is dying to tell. Subsequently, a relatively well-paced film trips itself up in the third act because it's taken so long to even introduce the character of Venom that the audience is forced into an unlikely alliance between the two villains just to set up an elaborate fight sequence. The whole affair impresses (the fight between Bad Peter and Harry) and undermines itself (a horribly ill-advised dance sequence) in equal measure, leaving you unsatisfied.
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May 5, 2007
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N/A
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The Terminator - R
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April 20, 2007
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N/A
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300 - R
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A generous slice of Hollywood cheese, this is not unlike a 2 hour music video sporting some fantastic visuals and an excellent soundtrack. Knowing that 300 can't stand up to the likes of Gladiator in terms of story-telling, Snyder takes the Spielberg approach to film-making by hiring a relatively unknown cast and spends the lion's share of the budget on the visuals to make it stand apart - an almost fetishistic use of slo-mo and OTT CG blood are mainstays of the piece. Butler is a solid choice for Leonidas, bulging his way through the film with a mad gleam in his eye and some scenery-chewing dialogue. Wenham delivers the role of story-teller with suitable zeal and Headey manages to impress with the little screen time she is given. All in all, not the best film ever made but good bloody fun :)
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April 20, 2007
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N/A
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Perfect Stranger - R
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April 17, 2007
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N/A
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The Pursuit of Happyness - PG-13
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April 17, 2007
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N/A
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Blades of Glory - PG-13
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April 17, 2007
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N/A
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Hot Fuzz - R
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April 17, 2007
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N/A
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TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - PG
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Sure, it's not up to the standards of the mighty Pixar (let's face it, the Toy Stories and Incredibles are possibly the best animations ever) but this is a really fun movie that's easy on the eye, features some pretty spectacular action set pieces and is a welcome return to form for the heroes in the half-shell. Naturally, the plot centres around kiddy-friendly fare (the age-old theme of family is dragged out of storage for an airing and a bunch of unstoppable mystic statues provide the antagonists) but there's some nice touches of characterisation between Leo and Raph and some genuinely dark moments hidden under the family friendly packaging to warrant a look. Unfortunately, Donny and Mike pretty much get benched this time round as the story centres around the conflict between their brothers so it would've been nice to see more of them as well as see The Shredder cross swords with the little green guys but I guess he's being saved for another outing :)
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March 30, 2007
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N/A
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AVP - Alien Vs. Predator - PG-13
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If u look up the dictionary definition of 'violated' u'll find a picture of Paul WS Anderson forcing me to watch this turgid steaming pile of cinematic dogshit whilst anally raping my grandmother and pouring sugar in my gastank. In his defence, WS (or Wank Stain as I suppose it probably stands for) can make pretty images - Event Horizon looks suitably space-goth-tastic. But unfortunately he's so intent on making with the pretty he casually forgets little details like... THE ENTIRE LORE CREATED BY 6 PREVIOUS FILMS OF EXPONENTIALLY SUPERIOR QUALITY (yes, even Alien: Ressurection). Predator's hunting in the cold tundra of the arctic? Aliens gestating in about an hour and a half? Lance Henriksen appearing to totally screw up the timeline of the Alien Mythos? Look away gentle reader. Rent the videogame and watch ur mates playing it for 90 minutes - it'll be far more entertaining...
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March 29, 2007
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N/A
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1287 ratings
67 reviews
