Alex Garland, who has built up a remarkable track record as both a novelist and screenwriter, makes his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a taut and scrupulously executed sci-fi thriller. Caleb (Domhall Gleeson), a coder at the world’s largest search engine, wins a competition to spend a week at the mountain retreat of his reclusive boss Nathan (Oscar Isaac), where he’s soon coerced into partaking in a classified experiment with female robot Ava (a triumphant Alicia Vikander). Continue reading “Review: Ex Machina (2015)”
Review: The Gambler (2014)
Mark Wahlberg’s fine and committed performance isn’t enough to save The Gambler – Rupert Wyatt’s remake of the 1970s crime drama – from being slight and dull. Literature professor and blackjack addict Jim Bennett (Wahlberg) is thousands of dollars in debt, turning to loan sharks for help after his wealthy mother (Jessica Lange) leaves him cold. But when he fails to pay back the loaned money, his position worsens further. Continue reading “Review: The Gambler (2014)”
Review: American Sniper (2015)
Clint Eastwood tackles the real-life tale of a skilled but emotionally troubled war hero in the well performed and fitfully powerful drama American Sniper. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) saves countless lives in Iraq with his pinpoint accuracy, but struggles to accept his actions and return to normal life with his wife (Sienna Miller, nicely sympathetic in an underwritten role) and children. Continue reading “Review: American Sniper (2015)”
Review: Whiplash (2015)
In his sophomore feature as director, Damien Chazelle delivers Whiplash, an extraordinary musical thriller that electrifies and startles in equal measure. Andrew (Miles Teller), a fledgling drummer, is chosen to be part of his school’s concert band by its conductor Fletcher (JK Simmons), whose ferocious teaching methods pushes and pulls him to breaking point. Ripped from Chazelle’s own experiences, Whiplash unspools with an exceptional and unyielding menace, as Fletcher browbeats Andrew to a terrified shell, forcing him to sweat, distress and spill literal blood. Continue reading “Review: Whiplash (2015)”
Review: Foxcatcher (2014)
Bennett Miller’s follow-up to Moneyball is a meticulously crafted, errie, yet ultimately laborious and obscure drama. Forever living in his brother’s shadow, former Olympic winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) enters into an intense and destructive partnership with millionaire John Du Pont (Steve Carell). Continue reading “Review: Foxcatcher (2014)”
Review: Into The Woods (2014)
Adapted for the screen by original writer James Lapine, Into The Woods – the long running Broadway play – succeeds in its transition under the direction of Rob Marshall. A childless baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) set off into the woods to lift an ancient curse put upon their family by an evil witch (Meryl Streep), where they encounter familiar faces and learn difficult truths. Continue reading “Review: Into The Woods (2014)”
Review: The Babadook (2014)
Writer and director Jennifer Kent fleshes out an original short film into The Babadook, one of the most terrifying horror films of recent times. Left reeling in the wake of her husband’s death, Amelia (Essie Davies) struggles to take care of their out of control son Sam (Noah Wiseman). But when Sam’s unhealthy fascination with monsters starts to rub off on Amelia’s fragile state of self, things take a turn for the sinister. Continue reading “Review: The Babadook (2014)”
Review: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Big Hero 6, based on an obscure Marvel comic of the same name, continues Walt Disney Animation Studios’ recent success streak by merging big action and sublime visuals with a wealth of heart. Young robotics whiz kid Hiro (Ryan Potter) forms an unlikely superhero team of science nerds and a loveable med-bot (Scott Adsit) in an effort to defend San Fransokyo from a masked villain whose emergence has cast a bleak shadow across his life. Continue reading “Review: Big Hero 6 (2014)”
Review: The Theory Of Everything (2014)
The love life of famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is the focus of The Theory Of Everything, a warm and beautifully acted, yet unfortunately dilute biopic. In the 1960s, Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) meets and falls in love with arts student Jane (Felicity Jones). Over the marriage that follows, both Stephen and Jane must deal with Stephen’s increasing disability while trying to hold onto a semblance of normality. Continue reading “Review: The Theory Of Everything (2014)”
Review: Birdman (2014)
Twenty five years after starring as the titular caped crusader in Batman, Michael Keaton takes on the role of another superhero, this time in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s thrilling and ambitious Birdman. Put out actor Riggan Thomson (Keaton) attempts to reinvigorate his stalled career by staging a Broadway play. His efforts are hindered, however, by one complication after another and his increasingly cloudy state of mind. Continue reading “Review: Birdman (2014)”
Empty Screens 