Inferno **
We all like a good mystery and chase, it’s just there is little imagination injected into Inferno, and a distinct lack of fear of the unknown that the other Brown books pedal so well.
Tag: Tom Hanks
A Hologram For The King ****
Deals with an age-old situation of mid-life burnout within a fascinating environment, but without judgment – even at the end when differences are resolved without dialogue being heard. Hanks fans are in for a unique treat in the Middle Eastern sun.
They Came Together **
This is a film for all those cutesy New York rom-com haters – especially those whose idea of watching You’ve Got Mail (starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) is like someone running fingernails down a blackboard. Ironically, in spoofing Hollywood’s treaclely genre, you have to go through all the exact same clichés again that cause …
Dallas Buyers Club *****
Any film relating to AIDS automatically focuses the attention and fuels expectation of a standout performance from the lead. As such, awards recognition is naturally on the cards, cynically so some might say. But director Jean-Marc Vallée’s (C.R.A.Z.Y., The Young Victoria) Dallas Buyers Club offers the career-defining role for stars Matthew McConaughey as well as …
LFF 2013: Saving Mr Banks *****
Mary Poppins is a seasonal classic, and The Blindside director John Lee Hancock’s ode to her creator, Saving Mr Banks, the closing film of BFI LFF 2013, is likely to evoke the same euphoric highs. It hits all the right notes in an utterly charming, funny and well-meaning manner; part in thanks to the great …
LFF 2013: Captain Phillips ****
A fitting film to open this year’s BFI London Film Festival, Captain Phillips holds one of Tom Hanks’s finest and most raw performances to date. Coupled with Green Zone and United 93 director Paul Greengrass’s snappy direction and multitude of camera angles to capture every moment and reaction, the pace never eases and the intensity …
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ***
There was understandably some surprise when Stephen Daldry’s latest film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s forthcoming Oscars, but given Daldry’s previous nomination success with the likes of The Reader and Billy Elliot, it’s not completely shocking either. Indeed, the Academy likes an inspirational tale born out of …
Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked ***
The sound of those rapid-fire, squeaky voices are enough to send some grown-ups running for the hills. Others will take a deep breath and prepare for the super-cute onslaught at the cinema – there has been a two-year respite after all. But once you’ve tuned into the inane Chipmunk banter, Film Three in the series, …
Larry Crowne ***
Tom Hanks’ films usually follow the same sentimental pattern of ‘loser triumphs’, making them predictably feel-good, heart-felt and all-American. With Hanks in the title role, Larry Crowne is no exception as the amicable star brings his charismatic warmth and inoffensive humour to yet another human story. The story cashes in on current times of austerity …