In the late 1990s John Woo's name was synonomous with high-adrenaline action films. He's the man that gave us Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Mission: Impossible II, but before making the transition into Hollywood he had honed the art of action films in Hong Kong. Hard Boiled represents the best action film he developed during this period, and while it lacks the slick visuals of … [Read more...]
Review: The Departed (2006)
When Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon are cast in a film together, you know it's going to be a first-rate production. Nothing less can be said about The Departed (2006), Martin Scorsese once again hit the nail on the head with his multiple Oscar winner. Set in the tired and troublesome areas of South Boston and Charlestown, Massachusetts. The … [Read more...]
Review: The Guard (2011)
The Guard won an unusual and well deserved award shortly after release, becoming as it remains at the end of 2011 as the highest grossing Irish independent film at the Irish box office. Directed by John Michael McDonagh, the brother of fellow director Martin McDonagh whose most famous film to date is scabrous black comedy In Bruges, The Guard was co-produced by the brothers as … [Read more...]
Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
Guy Ritchie re-imagined the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 film of the same name. With Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as his sidekick Dr. Watson, the film was a thumping success taking $524m off of a budget of $90m at the box office. A sequel was almost immediately announced. That sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was … [Read more...]
Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes, released in 2009, takes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character and gives him an action-adventure reboot at the hands of Guy Ritchie. The film was a monster success in both the US and the stories setting of the UK and it took over $524m at the box office off of a budget of $90m. This lead to the immediate announcement of a sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of … [Read more...]