One of the casualties of the 86th Academy Awards nominations, the Coen Brothers Inside Llewyn Davis tells the story of a struggling folk musician in 1960s New York. … [Read more...]
Review: Grudge Match (2013)
Following the trend of films focusing on the over-60s comes Grudge Match, which could generously be called Rocky vs. Raging Bull. … [Read more...]
Review: Now You See Me (2013)
The idea of magicians as master criminals is a wonderful conceit that powers the narrative of Louis Leterrier's Now You See Me. Combing a cast of superb, if unconventional characters actors it plays out a bit like a magic version of Ocean's 11. … [Read more...]
Review: The Railway Man (2013)
Based on a true story, The Railway Man follows Eric Lomax, a World War II veteran who was taken prisoner by the Japanese and forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway. After building a radio to listen to broadcasts from the outside world, he is found out by his captors and is mercilessly tortured. Years later, his old friend (Stellen Skarsgard) tells him his main torturer … [Read more...]
Review: August: Osage County (2013)
If you want an example of full-force acting, then look no further than August: Osage County. Based on the award-winning play written by Tracey Letts, it unites a stellar cast of a-list actors and up-and-comers in a single house over the course of a few days. While the plot is fairly thin on the ground, the performances are so strong that they threaten to bring down the whole … [Read more...]
Review: Last Vegas (2013)
Following the successes of The Hangover, the bromance has been on the rise. Combine this with the increase in popular older star films like The Expendables and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and you find yourself in a position to go and see Last Vegas, a comedy about A-List stars growing old disgracefully. … [Read more...]
Review: Her (2013)
Director Spike Jonze is never one to create with the confines of normality. His previous films Being John Malkovich, Adaptation. and Where the Wild Things are all took odd ideas and created wonderful environments to let the obscure narratives play out. His latest film Her, explores the interactions between humans and technology as well humans and themselves. … [Read more...]
Review: 12 Years a Slave (2013)
Around awards time at the beginning of every year a host of films vie for everyone's attention. There are a selection of film types that do so by tackling ˜worthy' subject matters, or hold historically importance. Some are artistic, some powerful, others move you, astound you with their beauty or overwhelm you with their raw emotionally charged nature. Then every once in a … [Read more...]
Review: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Based on an autobiography of the same name The Wolf of Wall Street follows the rise and fall of stock exchange broker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) who rose to financial success in the 1980s and 90s. Directed by Martin Scorsese and boasting a huge and diverse cast as well as a 3 hour running time, the film is all about excess and the moral ambiguity of the US stock … [Read more...]
Review: Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
A Mexican-American community in California is rocked by the murder of a reclusive old woman. Friends Hector (Jorge Diaz), Marisol (Gabrielle Walsh) and the recently graduated Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) begin investigating the dead woman's apartment before making a startling discovery that leads back to one of their childhoods and suggests at a dark future ahead. … [Read more...]