Not unlike X-Men: Days of Future Past or J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, the big idea for this latest attempt at restarting the Terminator franchise is to use time travel to reboot the universe in-story, by changing the fictional past. It's ambitious, more so than any Terminator film since the second one, but it's unfortunately a bit of a convoluted mess as well. … [Read more...]
Review: Entourage (2015)
I'm going to lay my hand on the table straight away here: 1. I have never seen Entourage TV show and 2. This is not going to be a rant. Believe me, I was fully expecting to come back from the cinema and rip Entourage to shreds, but I won't be doing that. Instead, this is going to be a defence of the film from all the vitriolic (and I feel undeserved) criticism it has received. … [Read more...]
Review: Tomorrowland (2015)
Brad Bird. Just the name should send feelings of childlike wonder through the body of any film fan. From The Iron Giant, to The Incredibles, even to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Brad Bird has proved he is one of the most talented directors working in Hollywood today. He has the uncanny ability to make any sequence instantly awe-inspiring, whether it's the final scene of … [Read more...]
Review: Big Game (2015)
In the midst of his terrible physical state and his declining poll approval, things are going very well for President William Alan Moore (Samuel L. Jackson). Things get even worse when Air Force One's defenses all seem to fail at once and the plane is attacked. His escape pod lands deep in the Finnish forests, where he is happened upon by Oskari (Onni Tommila), a young hunter … [Read more...]
Review: Spooks: The Greater Good (2015)
Spooks: The Greater Good is a continuation of the immensely popular UK TV show that ended back in 2011. Starring Peter Firth as the series lead Harry Pearce, the film focuses around the events following a leak occurring in MI-5 which led to a high-level target escaping from their custody before he could be handed over to the CIA. After this happened under his control, Pearce … [Read more...]
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
It's not often that something is labelled a classic as soon as it comes out. Films like Citizen Kane and The Shawshank Redemption took years of re-evaluation and rabid praise in order to become the hallmarks of the art form they are today. It takes a while normally. Here, I feel completely comfortable saying that Mad Max: Fury Road is not only the best film of the series, but … [Read more...]
Unfriended (2014)
When her cyber-bullying crosses over into the real world, teenager Laura Barns kills herself publicly. Unfriended takes place on the one year anniversary of her death. Five teenagers (or archetypes) - Blaire (the protagonist) (Shelley Hennig), Mitch (the protagonist's boyfriend) (Moses Jacob Storm), Jess (the protagonist's best friend) (Renee Olstead), Adam (a boring guy) (Will … [Read more...]
Review: Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
Pitch Perfect 2 starts as it means to go on; choreographed pop mash ups and a fantastic politically incorrect joke (literally), which puts a great big smile on your face that will barely leave you for the 115 minutes run time. … [Read more...]
The Salvation (2014)
The Western as a genre has been pretty played out. Whether it's the cheesy John Wayne westerns, or the gunslinging Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns, the genre has very few things left to do with originality anymore. Django Unchained came close, mostly taking the standard Western formula and transplanting it into the setting of late-19th century American slavery. Even that, … [Read more...]
Review: Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
Following the sudden and tragic death of co-star Paul Walker, the team behind Fast & Furious 7 went back for a series of reshoots in order to pay homage to their friend. The results are surprisingly tasteful and this level of meta-knowledge helps fuel Walker's 'last ride' for the franchise. … [Read more...]