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
Tying up the trilogy, and picking up soon after the events depicted in last year’s The Avengers, Iron Man 3 is arguably the best instalment in the Marvel superhero series, with new director Shane Black – who also co-wrote the script with Drew Pearce - bringing his own trademark mix of dark humour and harsh realism to an already well-oiled and successful machine. Continue reading
Niels Arden Oplev, the Danish director behind the first cinematic interpretation of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium novel trilogy (David Fincher’s version followed two years later), makes his English-language debut with Dead Man Down, a revenge thriller that unfortunately fails to triumph over innumerable weighty issues, namely screenwriter J.H. Wyman’s by-the-numbers script, pacing issues and an irritatingly dour mood. Continue reading
Adored Danish director Susanne Bier follows up the Academy Award winning In A Better World with Love Is All You Need: an altogether light and fluffy European rom-com that barely contains enough twinkling charm and picture perfect exotic scenery to excuse Anders Thomas Jensen’s otherwise uninspiring screenplay. It’s harmless though, and will likely appeal to those longing for syrupy romance. Continue reading
After years of being miscast in laughable rom-com’s opposite such talentless faces as Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler rediscovers his calling with Olympus Has Fallen, a performance that reminds us of why he broke out in the first place. It’s a shame, then, that the film itself doesn’t match up to its stars surprisingly shipshape standards, often falling short to cheesy dialogue, annoying patriotism and an overstretched running time. Continue reading
When it started out with its first instalment, a riff on Wes Craven’s Scream, the Scary Movie franchise was harmless enough, with its creators Keenan Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans – who have all since departed – merely using the formula to poke fun at Hollywood horror films through pop culture references and low brow humour. With every instalment since, however, the franchise has deteriorated rapidly, becoming stale and trashy. This is no better highlighted than in Scary Movie V. Continue reading
Directed by Sam Raimi, The Evil Dead was one of the most successful and talked-about horror films of its time, garnering a storm ton of controversy (in the UK, for example, the film was cut and labelled a “Video Nasty” by social activist Mary Whitehouse). It’s unsurprising, then, that nearly two decades later a remake – retitled Evil Dead and advocated by both Raimi and original cult star Bruce Campbell – is making its way to the big screen. Continue reading
Cindy (Jennifer Garner) and Jim (Joel Edgerton) are desperate to be parents. However, when they’re told by their doctor that this won’t happen naturally, they decide to indulge their dreams one final time by burying a box in their back garden filled with all the personality traits their ideal child would bear – kind, honest to a fault and musical, to name a few. Overnight, a magical storm occurs and Timothy (CJ Adams), a young boy with leaves on his ankles, is thrust into Cindy and Jim’s life. Continue reading
Though G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra was considered by many to be a complete and utter write-off, it also had a cartoonish and flippant sensibility that resulted in a decent box office haul, making its sequel, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, inevitable. The sequel, however, which finds new director Jon M. Chu and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick attempt to overhaul the series, loses that camp buffoonery and replaces it with an all-too serious military realism that’s sluggish and irritating. Continue reading
After turning his attention to curating the illuminating London Olympics opening ceremony over the summer months, acclaimed BAFTA award-winning director Danny Boyle returns to his cinematic home with his latest feature effort Trance: a hypnotic and delirious, yet overstuffed and often baffling psychological crime thriller that sees him work from a script co-written by regular screenwriter John Hodge and new recruit Joe Ahearne. Continue reading
