Category: Review

Review: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

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Inside Llewyn Davis

Deserving of more awards attention than it’s received, Inside Llewyn Davis – Joel and Ethan Coen’s follow-up to the very different True Grit – is a very heartfelt and rich piece of cinema, perhaps even one of their best. Melancholic and somber, yet imbued with a tremendous amount of heart, insight and humour through its realistically flawed central character and soul-stirring use of folk music, this is one intoxicating parable that shouldn’t be missed. Continue reading “Review: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)” →

Review: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

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Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey turns in a phenomenal, committed performance in the credible Dallas Buyers Club, further cementing his shift from rom-com doormat to serious, respectable actor. Based on the real-life story of Ron Woodroff, an AIDs victim-turned-activist during the deadly diseases mid-to-late 1980s peak, the film is somber and potent in its portrayal of Ron’s undying courage, yet ultimately hampered by an all too too hooey finale. Continue reading “Review: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)” →

Review: Out Of The Furnace (2013)

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Out Of The Furnace

Out Of The Furnace, Scott Cooper’s follow-up to the award-winning Crazy Heart, boasts a all-star ensemble cast and accurately barbed, but not much else. This revenge thriller, if you can call it that, suffers from a conventional, extremely plain narrative that trudges along drearily, flinging cliches every which way, but never offers anything meaty enough to sustain its lengthy run time, nor its deserving-of-better cast and the qualities it emits through its production credits. Continue reading “Review: Out Of The Furnace (2013)” →

Review: Last Vegas (2013)

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Last Vegas

Inspired by the universal success of The Hangover trilogy (Todd Phillips’ films have amassed a whopping $1.4M at the worldwide box office), Last Vegas assembles a quarter of Hollywood’s most revered actors for a sleek R-rated comedy. Unfortunately, and in spite of its best intentions and heavyweight credentials, the film never quite lives up to its potential, resulting in a film that’s flat and uninspired. Continue reading “Review: Last Vegas (2013)” →

Review: August: Osage County (2013)

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August: Osage County

August: Osage County, adapted by Tracy Letts from his own Pulitzer Prize winning play, has awards bait written all over it, from its spectacular ensemble cast to its succession of ravaging put downs. It’s a shame, then, that the force and effectiveness of the film, then, is let down by drab, staid direction and a tendency to be as boisterous and melodramatic as possible where a little more poignancy would have better done the trick. Continue reading “Review: August: Osage County (2013)” →

Review: The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)

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The Wolf Of Wall Street

Marking the fifth collaboration between director Martin Scorsese and star Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf Of Wall Street is an exhilarating and derisive black comedy that’s miles away from their previous efforts The Gangs Of New York and The Aviator. Based on the memoirs of real-life stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played superbly by DiCaprio, there’s not much to the film in terms of depth. But as a piece of no-frills entertainment, with a touch of social commentary, it’s a blast. Continue reading “Review: The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)” →

Review: 12 Years A Slave (2013)

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12 Years A Slave

The third feature from acclaimed British director Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave is a brutal, visceral and well-executed, if overdone, portrait of slavery in the stark plantations of antebellum America. Removed of all Hollywood purification (aside from its heavyweight, and often distracting A-list cast), the film depicts its contentious subject matter with all its vehement barbarity, through explicit imagery and endless scenes of torture, yet often feels stiff and perfunctory as a result. Continue reading “Review: 12 Years A Slave (2013)” →

2013 In Film: A Summary

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Frances Ha

2013 has brought with it a lot of things, both good and bad. But in this particular post I’ll be focusing on the film-related highlights that I’ve experienced over the past twelve months, from a mini adventure in London that included my first ever podcast appearance to a wine-soaked preview screening of Gravity at the newly converted IMAX cinema in Glasgow. I’ve interviewed idols, attended film festivals, and even walked a red carpet. Continue reading “2013 In Film: A Summary” →

Review: Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie (2013)

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Walking With Dinosaurs

Named after the massively successful six part BBC documentary TV series that aired in the late nineties and in which this half-baked, feature-length film is based upon, Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie is a live action/CGI hybrid from co-directors Neil Nightingale and Barry Cook. It’s without a doubt visually stunning, with the best constructed dinosaurs since Jurassic Park. Yet it’s botched spectacularly by a paper-thin script and laughably silly voiceover work from such actors as Justin Long and John Leguizamo. Continue reading “Review: Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie (2013)” →

Review: American Hustle (2013)

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American Hustle

The third part in his own self-proclaimed reinvention (one that’s so far brought with it The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, two Academy Award winners), American Hustle finds David O. Russell at his most playful, tackling the infamous ABSCAM scandal – a hugely publicised FBI sting into political corruption – with a tremendous amount of wit, vigour and vibrancy. While certainly not without its faults, it’s a film that’s more often than not massively entertaining, and a constant platform for spectacular performances and outlandish 70s fashion. Continue reading “Review: American Hustle (2013)” →