Jon Favreau’s enthralling live-action spin on Rudyard Kipling’s beloved novel is the latest in the line of Disney reinterpretations after recent hits Maleficent and Cinderella. Priding itself on heart-pumping dramatics and masterful visuals that recreate all on display, excluding Neel Sethi’s man-cub Mowgli, it manages to honour the old (both Kipling’s source material and the animated classic) while celebrating the cutting-edge in equal measure. Continue reading “Review: The Jungle Book (2016)”
The director of Oculus collaborates with star Kate Siegel on Hush, a crafty home invasion chiller that was snapped up by Netflix shortly after its SXSW premiere. The premise is simple – a deaf woman (Siegel) is tormented by an unnamed assailant (John Gallagher Jr.) in the middle of nowhere – but it’s captivating nonetheless. Continue reading “Review: Hush (2016)”
Marvel remain the favourite with their Cinematic Universe as DC’s marquee match-up Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is a crushing bore. Zack Snyder’s direction proves an oppressive burden; the darkness and heavy-handed approach leaving no room for humour or levity as Batman (Ben Affleck) rages with anger and Superman (Henry Cavill) sulks. Continue reading “Review: Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)”
Kristen Stewart is out and the A-list duo of Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt are in for The Huntsman: Winter’s War, the prequel-cum-sequel to Snow White And The Huntsman that no one asked for. Save for the talent, this is in no way an improvement on what came before – if anything, it’s a duller and more muddled affair that quickly loses attention. Continue reading “Review: The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016)”
Each week in the UK sees the arrival of a handful of films – sometimes more, sometimes less. I don’t always get a chance to see all of them, but from now on – week to week – I’ll be documenting, along with a few words’ review, each of the films I do see. Continue reading “What I’ve Seen: March 11, 2016”
In this doubly preposterous and cut-price sequel to Olympus Has Fallen, Gerard Butler returns to punch, stab and shoot his way through the destruction in order to get the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) to safety once more as no-nonsense Secret Service agent Mike Banning. This time, the action has relocated to London, where heads of state from around the world have converged for the Prime Minister’s funeral. Continue reading “Review: London Has Fallen (2016)”
John Hillcoat’s corrupt cop thriller boasts a talented cast, yet still manages to be a disposable misstep, weighed down by a messy, convoluted script. The film starts well, with a striking sequence involving a bank robbery establishing the various characters, five dodgy cops led by mastermind Michael (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who are blackmailed into a risky heist by the Russian mafia. Continue reading “Review: Triple 9 (2016)”
The space race becomes child’s play in uninspired Spanish-produced animated comedy Capture The Flag. Mike (Carme Calvell), the descendant of not one but two wannabe astronauts, takes matters into his own hands when NASA launches a space mission to stop an evil billionaire from mining the moon dry. Continue reading “Review: Capture The Flag (2015)”
Seven years after Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman returns with a stop-motion animation that’s as distinctive as it is inventive. Michael (David Thewlis), a motivational speaker and author in Cincinatti for a conference, is distant to everyone, yearning for connection amidst a world of uniformity. He sees – and hears – everyone around him as the same person, all of them voiced by Tom Noonan. That is, however, until he meets distinctively voiced Lisa (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Continue reading “Review: Anomalisa (2015)”
Spotlight, Tom McCarthy’s assured take on the Boston Globe’s expose of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church, is a thrilling procedural that celebrates thorough reporting. Based on real events, it avoids sensationalism and instead opts for low-key concentration as a team of four reporters – played by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Brian D’Arcy James – are tasked with investigating allegations against one priest, only to be stunned by what they discover as they dig deeper and deeper. Continue reading “Review: Spotlight (2015)”
Empty Screens 