Reviews in a nutshell
Perhaps it’s because summer is still with us that the nostalgic carefree days of yesteryear are still very much in flavour at the box office with another coming-of-age film set in the sunshine, after The Kings of Summer release last week. Writing duo Nat Faxon and Jim Rash have co-penned another poignantly funny feel-good story …
The Kings of Summer is a film that evokes a buzz of excitement in that both director (Jordan Vogt-Roberts) and writer (Chris Galletta) are first-timers and have tuned in totally to the teenager psyche when life seems ‘tough’ and we’re itching to get away from the oldies. It’s like a funny Stand By Me, using …
There’s no surprise at the anticipation surrounding the screen adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s bestselling novel, directed by Harold Zwart (2010’s The Karate Kid). With a gap in fantasy adventure market left by the globally successful Harry Potter and Twilight sagas, studio bosses are hungry to find the next best thing. It needs the right mix …
Continue reading “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones ***”
A lot is being uttered about The Lone Ranger, a Disney film that reunites Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski and star Johnny Depp, in what has got to be the most expensive ‘western’ in recent years (£165million to be precise). But although battered by American critics and arriving on these shores this week …
The World’s End is the immature being’s fitting finale to the famed Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy from filmmaking trio Edgar Wright, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. It encompasses the ultimate will to stay forever young that the three are best known for, and for that reason, will have a special place in fans’ hearts. That …
When dealing with real-life subject matter of a harrowing nature, it’s important to get facts straight and be sensitive to those involved. A film such as The Frozen Ground from debut director Scott Walker is such an example, based on historic events surrounding Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen who kidnapped and murdered roughly twenty young …
It doesn’t really matter if you don’t know your Dolce & Gabbana from your Louis Vuitton, Sofia Coppola’s film The Bling Ring – based on real-life events – is about the effects of celebrity coveting by a younger, impressionable generation, where materialistic goods plug something seriously lacking more often than not. What seems relatively ‘harmless’ …
Best way to describe Louis Leterrier’s new thriller is a ‘magical Ocean’s Eleven’. It has the gloss, the sassy style, the balls and a little extra, magic. But with all the tricks up its confident sleeve, it’s still not a pitch-perfect performance, racing away a lot of the time like the director’s Transporter films to …
‘Unpleasant’ is the word that comes to mind to describe The Seasoning House – and not necessarily in a complimentary fashion either for such a thriller. This description is not only for the obvious and upsetting subject matter of sex slavery during wartime but also how debut director Paul Hyett uses this a little too …
