Reviews in a nutshell
Ever wondered what injecting a Bond film with a bit of comic-book madness would be like? Kick-Ass writer director Matthew Vaughn – who teams up with co-writer Jane Goldman again – has the answer: Kingsman: The Secret Service. It’s part-spy, part comic-book caper that doesn’t take itself seriously. Testament of Youth star Taron Egerton plays …
It’s the end of an era – and an adventure for a Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman – who has long dumped his The Office persona) that started in 2012. What better way to conclude it than an almighty battle to define all battles. This episode is much like writer-director Peter Jackson’s The Lord …
Continue reading “The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (3D) ****”
The third installment of The Hunger Games saga has arrived, and without having any prior knowledge of the Suzanne Collins books, it’s the darkest and most relevant film (and story) so far that can be enjoyed without any insight (or interest) in the killing games. It’s also boosted again by the striking and formidable figure …
Continue reading “The Hunger Games – Mockingjay – Part I ****”
With concerns about our planet’s ailing health, and our renewed interest in what lies ‘out there’ among the stars, The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan’s new apocalyptic sci-fi Interstellar couldn’t come at a better time to play on our fears and curiosity. It’s set in a parallel ‘now’ on Earth that feels alien, even though …
What do you get when you cross Lord of the Flies with Lost? The answer is The Maze Runner, a screen adaptation from the first novel in the trilogy series by James Dashner. It has an appeal for all – the idea of living hand to hand and fending for ourselves in some great dystopian …
We’ve become blasé about our sci-fi stories – anything goes that initially seems crackers but gets persuasive as things progress. Luc Besson has combined a sci-fi passion with that of one of his strong, kick-ass women in Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson. You would be forgiven for thinking it was another Malick The Tree Of Life …
Waltz With Bashir animator Ari Folman takes on the advancing techno nature of the Hollywood film industry in his hybrid (live action/animation), political sci-fi The Congress. It’s hard to distinguish whether the film itself or the myriad of ideas it boldly flags deserve the true credit. Debate aside, Folman uses animation to illustrate the ‘death …
If incredibly imagination alone were the key to a successful film, then writer-director Michel Gondry’s L’écume des jours or Mood Indigo would be a guaranteed box-office smash. It’s like an animated delicacy that ignites the creative juices with every scene, beautifully crafted to help tell a delicate story of loss. However, as much as fans …
It’s another Michael Bay robot-carnage fest in the fourth instalment, Age Of Extinction that only feels strangely different because of a more intriguing cast this time around. Gone are bland, boyish LaBeouf and the wisecracking US marines. In comes proven screen action hero, Mark Walhberg, Stanley Tucci as a megalomaniac corporate man and Kelsey Grammer …
