Terrified, nervous and confused emotions flow from the screen to the audience throughout the hour and a half of insane ramblings, blood splattering death and quirkiness. The cast definitely added credibility to Mr. Smith’s latest project as the plot was fairly simple, slightly lacking depth. The overriding feeling though is that Red State = internet dating gone wrong. Read the full review here¦
Simultaneously scary, jumpy, funny, fast-paced, action-packed with genuine character development and a strong moral core, Attack the Block is the most surprising and gripping film you’ll likely see from a first-time director, with an almost first-time cast. Joe Cornish has well and truly arrived. Read the full review here…
From the sweeping history lesson in the beginning to the family intrigue in the middle and the climatic showdown at the end, Thor successfully ticks every blockbuster box without ever feeling overblown or ridiculous making it the best Marvel film since Spider-Man 2. Read the full review here¦
Scorsese takes great care to create the sense of wonder that he himself clearly felt upon watching films for the first time. Hugo reads more like a love letter to the early pioneers of film than an actual children’s film, but it is exactly this reason that makes it work. It focuses on the over-riding theme of ˜broken’ toys, machines and at its heart, people. Each of the main characters has a reason to feel broken and isolated from the ˜working’ people surrounding them, but they all discover ways to fix themselves. Read the full review here…
At its core Arthur Christmas is a mad-capped road movie as the hapless trio travel the globe visiting Toronto, Cuba and encountering lions in Africa. They each tackle their short-comings in a bid to renew Christmas spirit to the children, the elves and even Steve and Santa. The film is not afraid to cast the Claus’ in a negative light, with Steve tired of receiving no recognition, the current Santa unable to let go and retire and Grandsanta desperate to prove that he is still useful. The characterisation is beautifully handled throughout, which is no small part to the excellent voice acting. Read the full review here¦
The plot trots along at a good pace and rarely drags, with decent action interspersed through the top-notch character development scenes. Superb special effects and a decent cast help drive the story and whilst you’ll see the seeds of the climax sown from the very beginning, the film does not rush to get there, making this a thoroughly entertaining and surprisingly emotionally complex blockbuster. Read the full review here…
Scorsese takes great care to create the sense of wonder that he himself clearly felt upon watching films for the first time. Hugo reads more like a love letter to the early pioneers of film than an actual children’s film, but it is exactly this reason that makes it work. It focuses on the over-riding theme of ˜broken’ toys, machines and at its heart, people. Each of the main characters has a reason to feel broken and isolated from the ˜working’ people surrounding them, but they all discover ways to fix themselves. Read the full review here…
The comedy is a lewd as you’d expect from an Apatow production and it pulls no punches whilst delivery some startling, gross-out moments. Whilst well-paced, it does feel a little episodic, with each event given an equal amount of time to allow the action to build to a crescendo of chaos and anarchy. Melissa McCarthy is the stand-out of all the friends. Read the full review here…
That’s not to take too much away from the film though, because the general level of comedy is very high and the plot is interesting enough. For the film to work its leads needed to be on top form and both are, with Kunis especially proving that her role in Black Swan wasn’t a fluke. It’s not quite as good as Easy A, but it is far better than most of the rom-coms out at the moment and goes to prove that Gluck˜s previous success was no flash in the pan. Read the full review here¦
The question throughout is who is to blame for Kevin’s actions and there are nods to it being his nature, his mother’s failings as a parent and even video games. The film never shoves one opinion down the throat of the audience and simply leaves all the information there for you to make up your own mind. It’s harrowing and beautiful in equal measure and stands as one of the best films in recent years. Everybody should be talking about Kevin. Read the full review here¦
Director Asif Kapadia really captures the scenes with aplomb and is able to create a coherent story throughout. It never slacks and is always full-throttle, much like it’s subject. Also the film will appeal to all viewers, not just fans of Formula 1 as the story is just so incredibly engrossing that it could be on any subject, and it would still be fantastic to watch. Read the full review here…
A top notch cast, a director on the rise and source material that leaps off the screen from the beginning, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one of the most ambitious and intriguing films of 2011. It may not always get it right, but the ideas are there and it’s worth seeing for Cumberbatch’s Dr. Watson-like turn and Oldman˜s career-best performance. Surely an Oscar isn’t far away for either of them. Read the full review here¦
Hyper-violent, retro, all style and no substance, Drive on the face of it is a mess. However, as a one-shot idea Refn has the class to pull all the disparate elements together and with Gosling as his lead manage to make a truly original piece of work from the carcasses of classic films of the last 20 years. It’ll be loved and hated in equal measure and like Luc Besson˜s early films, it will only work providing the director does not go back to the well too many times. Read the full review here¦
The question throughout is who is to blame for Kevin’s actions and there are nods to it being his nature, his mother’s failings as a parent and even video games. The film never shoves one opinion down the throat of the audience and simply leaves all the information there for you to make up your own mind. It’s harrowing and beautiful in equal measure and stands as one of the best films in recent years. Everybody should be talking about Kevin. Read the full review here…
Hugo is a film made by a cinema-lover for cinema-lovers. Every frame has a copper tint that evokes the mechanical man at its centre and a sense of sepia-toned nostalgia that continues throughout. The film slowly reveals its true intentions with a dream-like sense of wonder from the stellar acting cast and leaves you feeling warm inside. Just an utterly wonderful viewing experience.
Trailer Review Tarantino gets a lot of stick for his movies. He is accused of…