The art world is a fickle place. What is hot is very soon not, but what is yet not, does not want to be hot, but when it becomes hot, does everything it can to convince everyone that it is not. Confused? Well that is the whole point of Beautiful Losers. … [Read more...]
Review: Ex Machina (2015)
Writer Alex Garland is without a doubt one of the most talented writers of the 2000s. His writing had consistently impressed with his efforts with director Danny Boyle, those being the absolute classic 28 Days Later and the almost classic Sunshine (if not for it's terrible final act). He has also written great screenplays away from Danny Boyle, including Never Let Me Go and the … [Read more...]
Review: Next Goal Wins (2014)
If you're not familiar with the beautiful game (football, or soccer as you may know it) you need to understand one thing: Losing 31-0 is not very good. In fact it's almost unbelievably bad. … [Read more...]
Review: American Sniper (2014)
Directed by Clint Eastwood, American Sniper is a true-story war drama about Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the most deadly sniper in U.S. military history, racking up 160 confirmed kills in his four tours of service. Saying almost anything else could be considered a spoiler, as with most biopics, as it has less of a traditional narrative and has more of a series of events that … [Read more...]
Review: Taken 3 (2015)
The fact that the phrase ˜the Taken franchise' is a truth in the film industry is possibly the most baffling thing in recent movie memory. The first Taken film was a standalone story; an ex-secret agent's daughter gets kidnapped by a ring of Albanian human traffickers, and so he goes on a crusade to shoot some bad guys, torture some bad guys, and pretty much murder half of … [Read more...]
Review: Into the Woods (2014)
Belting its way into cinemas anyway is this rather odd adaptation of stage impresario Stephen Sondheim's musical Into the Woods. The script is written (or rewritten) by original co-writer James Lapine, while Rob Marshall (of Chicago fame) shakily points his camera and hopes for the best as the worlds of many beloved fairytale characters intertwine before being subverted and … [Read more...]
Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies (2014)
Four books, sixteen hours of film and a cast of hundreds and it all comes down to this. The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies is the final time Peter Jackson and crew will be heading into the worlds of JRR Tolkien as it rounds out the trilogy of films based on the children's book The Hobbit. Nobody can say that this prequel trilogy has been as popular as The Lord of the Rings, … [Read more...]
Review: The Interview (2014)
When history looks back at The Interview, the latest comedy with Seth Rogen and James Franco, it will talk mainly about the scandal around its release. Telling the controversial story of an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the actual North Korean government issued a statement threatening 'merciless' action against Colombia Pictures if it went ahead … [Read more...]
Review: The Theory of Everything (2014)
A biopic of Professor Stephen Hawking is a goldmine for Hollywood. He is arguably the most influential living physicist, akin to Albert Einstein. he has a crippling disease and was only given a few years to live, but recently celebrated his 73rd birthday. The Theory of Everything is based on the memoirs Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen of his first wife Jane and … [Read more...]
Review: Foxcatcher (2014)
A big hit at Cannes and likely to be one of this year's awards season heavyweights, Foxcatcher is the true story of reclusive billionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell), who established a wrestling gym at his estate to train the United States team. He invited Olympic gold medallists Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) to coach the team. … [Read more...]