Star Trek: Into Darkness Review
Star Trek: Into Darkness is a well-executed and thoughtfully written follow up to the 2009 film, with excellent performances and incredible action scenes; sadly, it fizzles out somewhat in the last 20 minutes.
Iron Man 3 Review
Does Iron Man 3 make up for the disappointment of the second movie? We take a look at the latest exploits of the “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”
Dark Skies Review
My impression from the posters, trailer, and the producers (who also did Paranormal Activity and Insidious) was that this was probably a demon possession film. It's not; instead, aliens.
Stoker Review
From Park Chan-wook, the director of Oldboy, comes a new and incredibly disturbing piece of film-making. Stoker follows a young woman's relationship with her uncle after the death of her father, but it's not as benign a plot as it sounds.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Review
I don't read reviews of films that I'm going to write about, so I had little idea what to expect from Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. I saw that Jeremy Renner was in it, and given his acting calibre I was vaguely optimistic. I shouldn't have been.
Side Effects Review
Steven Soderbergh's latest and possibly last film is a fantastically written thriller, focusing on a woman with clinical depression and the consequences of the drugs that her psychiatrist recommends. Except it's not quite that simple.
Oz: The Great and Powerful Review
Over 70 years after The Wizard of Oz was first released, a prequel to that film has finally been made to show us of what Oz was like before Dorothy was ever born; to tell us how The Wizard first arrived and got into power, to inform us of what he was really like, and perhaps most importantly, to enlighten us to how the Wicked Witch became so wicked in the first place. And...it's okay.
Mama Review
With a track record including The Orphanage and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, Guillermo del Toro's best medium is the horror film. Mama is the best one to date.
Film Review: Skyfall
Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. (Source: IMDB)
There’s a moment in Bond 23 in which Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva asks a dishevelled Bond his preferred hobby, to which he replies “resurrection”. Given we’re now celebrating Bond in his fiftieth year, it’s a trait the Broccoli family has also had to adopt to keep Bond feeling fresh through the years. Over the past half a century – kicking off with Dr. No in 1962 – the franchise has had to continually redefine, reboot, resurrect itself to stay relevant, ticking off the 00's as it goes. Fittingly, it's Skyfall that melds the old and the new together in a modern day Bond perhaps better than any other.
Taken 2 Review
Sitting excitedly for the return of Qui-Gon Jinn ruthlessly obliterating yet another crime syndicate and saving his family in the process. From the legendary threat of finding and killing the foes of the original film, it's fair to say that many have been anticipating yet another unapologetic action movie. Hell, with a director that goes by the surname of 'Megaton,' expectations are that we're in safe hands. But there is one very simple reason this film doesn't work, and it goes by the two-number-and-one-letter rating of '12A.'
Film Review: Looper
"In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self." (Source: IMDB)
Kansas City, 2044. “Time travel has not yet been invented, but 30 years from now, it will have been.” So begins Looper, the third film from writer-director Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), a future-noir science-fiction film that oozes style and nearly matches it with high-concept, time-travel substance.
Film Review: Ted
As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since - a friendship that's tested when Lori, John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship. (Source: IMDB)
Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises
In some ways, Christopher Nolan could feel helpless about the large portion of negativity directed his way now The Dark Knight Rises is finally upon us after months if not years of heightened anticipation and amplified speculation. However downright spectacular TDKR (and it truly is) happened to be, it will forever be within The Dark Knight’s shadow.
Film Review: Titanic 3D
A pioneer of the resurgence in 3D, James Cameron's dedication to the format can simply not be under-estimated. Having been the driving force behind the technology in Avatar's decade-spanning journey to our screens – which went on to gross £2.7 billion at the box office, the biggest in history by quite a margin – Cameron has spent the last year braving the waters in supervising the most ambitious 2D-to-3D conversion ever seen, in bringing his very first billion dollar movie back to the big screen where it belongs.
Film Review: Chronicle
Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides. (Source: IMDB)
In the final shot of Chronicle, we're informed by teenage tearaway Matt Garretty (played by newcomer Alex Russell) that he will 'search for the answers' that will come to disclose exactly why the events of the film unfolded like they did. As a closing sentiment, it makes sense within the context of the film. But for the audience, it's more than a little aggravating to say the least. Whether through sheer laziness or genuine directorial reasoning (within the context of the hand-held style, it may have appeared disjointed and forced); Chronicle simply refuses to explain away any of the myriad plot holes, contrivances and perplexing character developments it so chooses to force onto its audience.