Fresh from Cannes where it competed for the prestigious Palme d’Or and its subsequent airing on American cable network HBO, Behind The Candelabra is presented as Steven Soderbergh’s final feature film. It’s undoubtedly a triumphant note for the director to end on, and will surely be celebrated – alongside Magic Mike and Side Effects – for its boldness as much as its authenticity and the emotional resonance it provokes. Continue reading
An all-star cast fall victim to a shallow, tasteless script in The Big Wedding, the latest in the line of lacklustre comedies to hit cinema screens this year. This one though, which was adapted from the well-received French romantic comedy Mon Frère Se Marie, heralds a new low with its arrival – one that proves that no matter how much money or A-list stars you throw into the mix, if the material isn’t up to scratch, then there’s no point in even bothering. Continue reading
With every third part in a successful trilogy comes the different question: Do you stay with the same winning structure that has proved so lucrative with the previous instalments, or do you shake things up in a bid to present the audience with something fresh? Director Todd Phillips and screenwriter Craig Mazin have opted for the latter with The Hangover Part III, though it’s not executed in a particularly memorable or laudable fashion. Continue reading
With the full line-up announcement only a day away, it’s hard not to speculate what films are likely to unspool at the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival next month. In previous years, we’ve been way off mark, choosing bigger films over the usual smaller ones Edinburgh likes to promote. However, with the welcome regeneration the festival experienced last year, it’s only natural to feel optimistic about what might be on offer this year, and the revelations so far have only propelled this. Continue reading
With Star Trek, JJ Abrams not only revived the tired sci-fi space franchise from limbo, but also delivered a revelatory blockbuster, packed with humour, dazzling visuals and non-stop action. Sadly, however, lightning hasn’t struck twice for the multihyphenate, and Star Trek Into Darkness fails to recapture that magic, often becoming weighed down by a tired, lumbering narrative. Continue reading
Aside from the ridiculously successful Ice Age series, Blue Sky Studios haven’t exactly had the best luck, releasing mediocre film after mediocre film that have each failed to set the box office alight. The latest of which, Epic, fails to alter that cursed streak. Hailing from director Chris Wedge, this FernGully-like animated fantasy-adventure offers very little that hasn’t been seen or done before. Continue reading
Since making his debut as a writer and director in 2007 with the warmly received Shotgun Stories, and following it up with festival darling Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols has become a powerful voice within the independent film world. It’s with Mud though that Nichols has officially arrived, delivering an exceptional coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of rural Arkansas. Continue reading
Twelve years after the first instalment crashed into cinemas, and the absurdly over-the-top Fast & Furious series is still plumbing new depths in a bid to entertain, dazzle and satisfy its audiences burgeoning expectations. It’s a relief, then, that Fast & Furious 6 matches expectations to earn its place as a worthy, if not better, successor to Fast Five and a preposterously rousing blockbuster on its own merits. Continue reading
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is considered by many to be a literary classic. It’s no wonder, then, that in the time since the novel was published in 1925 it has been adapted for the screen on numerous occasions. The latest of which hails from director Baz Luhrmann and screenwriter Craig Pearce, who’ve created an ambitious – and visually sumptuous – interpretation. Continue reading
Pedro Almodóvar, one of Spain’s most internationally acclaimed directors (he’s won two Academy Awards to date), returns to familiar territory with I’m So Excited, his first out-and-out comedy since Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown was released some twenty three years ago. Gone are the somewhat sombre explorations of dark, labyrinthine subjects found within his recent crop of Continue reading
