Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) is a rogue CIA agent who is attempting to sell some calssified documents to the highest bidder. After being pursued a group of less-than-savoury characters through the streets of Johannasburg, South Africa, he opts to hand himself in to the US embassy and is imediately taken to a safe house, where rookie agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is … [Read more...]
Review: Transformers (2007)
The original Transformers cartoon is widely considered a classic in children's programming. The Transformers animated film was a success among fans, so it's a surprise a live action film took this long. But in 2007, we got Transformers, a high-budget action flick directed by the manifestation of everything wrong with Hollywood, Michael Bay. His CV isn't exactly full of … [Read more...]
Review: Chronicle (2012)
The 'found footage' genre has made steady progress in Hollywood since The Blair Witch Project burst through the barrier of success in 1999. JJ Abrams took it a step further by adding Hollywood special effects in his viral hit Cloverfield and this brings us neatly, via the Paranormal Activity series to Chronicle. Written by Max Landis, the son of 80s icon John Landis and … [Read more...]
Review: Underworld: Awakening (2012)
The Underworld franchise kicked off in 2003, made by studio Lakeshore Entertainment, starring Kate Beckinsale as a black leather clad vampire, Selene. Based on the trailers and the looks of the star, it became a hit among teenage boys and took over $90m from a budget of $22m, which set the wheels in motion for a series that releases a film every 3 years like clockwork. The … [Read more...]
Review: The Three Musketeers (2011)
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas is one of the most adapted books to film in history. When Paul W.S. Anderson decided to create a new version in 2011 it was the 21st adaptation of the famous novel. Known for his work on the Resident Evil series, Anderson was clearly looking for a new franchise to continue his trend of producing low quality, high-earning films. From a … [Read more...]
Review: Haywire (2012)
Haywire can only be described as 007 meets Jason Bourne but for females. A surprisingly quiet promotional campaign for an A-List cast featuring Michael Douglas, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Bill Paxton is very odd. What is even more unusual is the lead, Gina Carano, a Mixed Martial Arts expert and World Extreme Fighter. Relatively … [Read more...]
Review: Yamada: The Samurai of Ayutthaya (2010, Thai)
Yamada: The Samurai of Ayutthaya is a historical martial arts movie, based (rather loosely perhaps) on the life real life figure of Yamada Nagamasa. Yamada was a Japanese Samurai who ended up in Siam (modern day Thailand) after his lord was defeated in battle and he was forced to leave his homeland. In the period in which the film is set, the early 17th century, there was a … [Read more...]
Review: Trollhunter (2010, Norwegian)
When film-maker Andre Ovredal wrote the screenplay for The Troll Hunter he based it on a single comment from Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg about the true existence of Trolls and how pylons were actually fences to keep them in trapped. It's a wonderful little moment that none of the gathered press at the conference picked up on and when taken out of context creates … [Read more...]
Review: The Darkest Hour (2012)
There are some films where you don't know what to expect. The trailer is great, but the reviews are terrible, or vice versa. You're torn. Which do you trust? On the other end of the spectrum, there are those movies that you know exactly what to expect. The trailer is awful, the reviews are terrible, and it's coming out in 3D. Welcome to The Darkest Hour. The more accurate title … [Read more...]
Review: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
The Mission: Impossible movie franchise has never been widely regarded as good. I have a particular soft spot for Mission: Impossible 3, but I am the first to admit that it's mindless fluff. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (if most of the time a colon means a bad movie, this one has two) is the first M:I film to receive generally positive reviews. Is this a turn around for … [Read more...]