Tag: Review

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)

Jamie Neish5 Comments

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)

Jamie Neish3 Comments

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)

Jamie Neish4 Comments

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)” →

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

Jamie Neish2 Comments

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)

Jamie Neish3 Comments

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)” →

Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)

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Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

The inspired absurdity of Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy ensured that, even after its initial box office disappointment (its overall worldwide cume rang in at a paltry $90M), the film – co-created by comedy duo Adam McKay and Will Ferrell – went on to become a well-loved cult classic. Now, nearly a decade later, and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues has emerged from development hell as a worthy, if at times bloated and slapdash, sequel that’s more of a hit than it is a miss. Continue reading “Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)” →

Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (2013)

Jamie Neish2 Comments

The Desolation Of Smaug

After the bloated and unsatisfying first instalment in the Hobbit film series left many frustrated and disappointed, it comes as a relief to discover that its follow-up, subtitled The Desolation Of Smaug, is a considerably more forcible and pleasing romp. It’s fun and spry, with a bulging sense of adventure and urgency that excuses a vast majority of the more superfluous moments. Peter Jackson’s penultimate return to Middle Earth feels as much like a piece of The Lord Of The Rings saga as one could hope. Continue reading “Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (2013)” →

Review: Nebraska (2013)

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Nebraska

American writer and director Alexander Payne has carved a successful career from exploring the comedy and drama of life through the world-weary eyes of ordinary individuals, from Jack Nicholson’s Warren Schmidt in About Schmidt to George Clooney’s Matt King in The Descendants. His latest, the poetic and bittersweet Nebraska, is no different, and has already cemented itself as a strong awards contender after receiving plaudits upon its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Continue reading “Review: Nebraska (2013)” →