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)”
A man’s moral fibre is stretched to the limit in J.C. Chandor’s intoxicating, robust drama A Most Violent Year, which bears similarities to the finest crime thrillers of the 1970s even while inverting them. Abel (Oscar Isaac), a do-right businessman, has hopes of expanding his company, but at a time when corruption and violence are soaring, it proves difficult to do when playing by the book. Continue reading “Review: A Most Violent Year (2014)”
A sci-fi thriller that drags more than it soars, Interstellar finds director Christopher Nolan favouring spectacle over substance. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a former astronaut-turned-farmer, is struggling to survive on a ravaged Earth. When a last-ditch attempt to save mankind presents itself, Cooper leaves his family behind for the outer reaches of space.
Continue reading “Review: Interstellar (2014)”
Three years after reigning supreme at the Academy Awards with The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow and regular collaborator Mark Boal return with Zero Dark Thirty. CIA analyst Maya (Jessica Chastain) has spent years chasing falsified intelligence relating to the possible whereabouts of terrorist Osama bin Laden. Undeterred, even in light of her colleagues’ ever-weakening investment, Maya makes a breakthrough when his possible hideout is revealed, leading to a Continue reading “Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2013)”
Coriolanus isn’t the most well-known Shakespeare play, but contains a lot of issues relevant to current political and social concerns.
Caius Martius Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a brutal hero, swears vengeance on his fellow citizens and is subsequently banished by his mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave). Hell bent on exacting revenge, he offers his life and services to sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler), heading an army capable of wiping out the entire city. Continue reading “Review: Coriolanus (2011)”
Beleaguered by a series of apocalyptic visions, Curtis (Michael Shannon), questions whether he needs to shelter his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and daughter, Hanna (Tova Stewart) from a coming storm, or from himself.
Blossoming writer/director Jeff Nichols plunges the viewer head-first into Curtis’ nightmarish mind, where reality and fiction become intertwined. As the film builds in a heady crescendo, it becomes increasingly doubtful as to Continue reading “Review: Take Shelter (2011)”
Based on Kathryn Stockett’s phenomenally successful and influential novel of the same name, The Help centers on Aibileen Clark: (Viola Davis), a devoted housekeeper in 1960′s Mississipi, who, after being approached to help local writer Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan (Emma Stone) write her first novel, recounts her life as a black servant in a time of extreme racial discrimination, bigotry and classism.
Moving, compelling and insightful, The Help is a highly commendable cinematic triumph, hitting the nail firmly on the head in almost every field: from well-honed cinematography to a beautifully serene score. Tate Taylor, who also penned the screenplay, has managed to do something of a rarity Continue reading “Review: The Help (2011)”
Director – Terrence Malick
Starring – Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain and Kari Matchett
Empty Screens 