Where there is oil there will be greed. Rachel Boynton is the director of a documentary described by critics as a real life ‘There Will Be Blood.’ Backed by the cash of Executive Producer, Brad Pitt, she follows the story of Ghana’s troubled commercialization of it’s oil fields, and the militants in Nigeria combating the corruption that their oil wealth caused.
It seems strange that LEGO, the beloved building block toy brand, has only just got a movie adaptation in The LEGO Movie. Well, it was worth the wait… because The LEGO Movie is nothing short of AWESOME! While still regarded as a toy for kids, it’s a rite of passage for many people who used to […]
It’s been 8 years since Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 hit the big screen. The standalone film blazed with battle cries, cutting edge visuals and ancient Greek “This is… SPARTA!” machismo. It set in motion the careers of its director, Zack Snyder and Gerard Butler.
They say he was a carpenter. Maybe slaving away, making wooden furniture is how Jesus got his chiseled good looks. The latest portrayal of Jesus on the silver screen has a lot of people questioning whether Jesus has become too sexy.
When David O. Russell makes a movie, people sit up, take notice and then stand up. He reportedly said he hates plots and is all about characters. Well, the critically acclaimed director has managed to get Oscar-nominated performances out of his cast in his last three films. It’s no wonder he’s developing a loyal following of […]
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was Will Ferrell at his best. The comedian’s larger-than-life attitude, the character’s over-the-top ego and the chauvinistic news room of the ’70s made Anchorman an instant cult hit. Catchphrases, big hair and bigger facial hair made way for an almost inevitable sequel for the ridiculous newsman and his cohorts. Well, the day […]
We’re living in an age when being without our phone makes us feel disconnected from society. No social media, no messaging services, no Internet and no fast track to our list of contacts makes us feel insecure and out of touch. These mobile devices have become more than our personal assistants, they’ve become an integral […]
Inside Llewyn Davis is a Coen brothers film that captures the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961 through the eyes of a fictional character, who was inspired by the memoirs and music of Dave Van Ronk. This beautifully shot music drama truly takes us there as we experience a week in the life of a struggling […]
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is quickly establishing himself as a bankable actor after a series of significant roles in films like The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Looper. He’s more than that, pushing forward with his Just Hit Record brand by writing and directing his first feature film, Don Jon.
Sylvester Stallone has been making good progress on his Hollywood bucket list. After finally playing opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in Escape Plan, the next big fish was Robert De Niro, who co-stars with Stallone in Grudge Match.
“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” The verse is often misquoted, but seems fitting when you consider the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort, a stock broker whose extraordinary biography became a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an adventure-slash-comedy directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Every couple of years, Stiller decides to direct a film and the result is always interesting: Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder and now The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, an adaptation of a short story by James […]
Will they be releasing an extended edition of The Hobbit trilogy? It seems as though that’s already happening. If anything, there will be a special director’s cut, which will probably get a cinema release, drawing all of the films together in the space of three-and-a-half hours. If not, there will undoubtedly be a fan-made version […]
Escape Plan is the culmination of a big idea that has been simmering, along with their testosterone levels, for a couple of decades. Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have finally made a movie together. The quintessential ’80s action icons have trail-blazed their way into Hollywood history and pop culture with long and impressive careers. Now […]
Nelson Mandela is an extraordinary man, whose life story plays like a political version of The Count of Monte Cristo. He was born into a rural family, educated as a lawyer, discriminated against in his own country, branded a “terrorist” leader, a political prisoner for 27 years, only to be inaugurated as President of South […]
The Hunger Games underplayed its hand. While competent and carried by a strong performance from Jennifer Lawrence, Gary Ross seemed like the wrong director for the film. Getting the Seabiscuit and Pleasantville director on-board must have been a ploy to cushion the adult themes to appeal to a much broader audience. While marketed as a […]
In an age dominated by superheroes, it’s always refreshing to hear about real-life heroes. You know, those people who see an opportunity to step in and have the courage to follow through. Captain Richard Phillips is one such person, who made headlines worldwide when the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama container vessel he was captaining became […]
The first thing you’ll notice about Luc Besson’s Mafia action comedy, The Family, is its stellar cast, featuring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones. The film functions as a tongue-in-cheek look at the life of a gangster trying to escape his sordid past. It’s also a fish-out-of-water comedy in the way that […]
Steve Jobs was an entrepreneur, a pioneer and a creative genius. This is the iconic Jobs we know from the media, yet we only know half the story. Jobs the biopic drama about the Apple founder is an eye-opening journey, taking the tempestuous Jobs from his days as a hippie in college to his crowning […]
Gravity writer-director, Alfonso Cuarón has always wanted to be two things: a director and an astronaut. These lifelong dreams meshed somewhere along the way to become his magnum opus, Gravity, a breathtakingly beautiful, mesmerising, visceral and moving space film about a medical engineer and an astronaut, who work together to survive after an accident leaves […]
Prisoners is an epic crime drama thriller from Denis Villeneuve, director of the Oscar-nominated foreign film, Incendies. The film pivots on two powerful co-lead performances from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal with fine direction from Villeneuve. Prisoners makes a wonderful comparative character study of two men approaching the same dire situation from a subjective and […]
Think Little Miss Sunshine meets The Wonder Years. That’s essentially what’s going on in The Way Way Back. The film was inspired by a conversation one of the writer-director’s had with his stepfather when he was in the way back seat, which is now the opening scene. This is where the title The Way Back […]
Runner Runner is a slick crime thriller that immerses itself in the world of online gaming, corrupt casinos and underhanded entrepreneurship. Brad Furman, director of The Take and The Lincoln Lawyer, has crafted a high stakes cat-and-mouse game that meshes the flash of Las Vegas with the grit of Costa Rica.
The Paperboy is a strange and unusual thriller with a first class cast. Director Lee Daniels has followed up his Oscar-nominated drama, Precious, with a film based on a novel by Pete Dexter that carries a similar intensity. As palpable as the tension is, The Paperboy also seems overly ambitious and experimental.
Felix is a feel-good comedy drama that you will cherish for its fun, exuberant and sweet-natured tone. This delightful underdog story arrives in the wake of Spud and has been dubbed “Billy Elliott with Cape Jazz”. It’s wholeheartedly entertaining and difficult not to like, owing to a positively charming ensemble, a spirited story about a […]
This new ‘RoboCop’ movie looks insane. Check it out. RoboCop is part man, part machine, and fully awesome. The film is set to come out in February next year, and if the full length film is anything like the trailer, we can’t wait to see this classic ’80s remake. Wait ’til you see who’s in it!
Kick-Ass was unabashedly proud of its pick ‘n mix of genres and brew of violence, youth-centric flair and cult cool class – borrowing aspects from better action, crime and superhero films. Not all that much has changed in Kick-Ass 2, in fact, one of its main criticisms is that it’s more of the same.
The new Evil Dead remake’s movie poster proudly proclaims: “The most terrifying film you will ever experience.”. While this bold statement does make you wonder, it’s actually not far from the truth.
Welcome to the Punch for lack of a better joke, lacks punch. While it’s slick and spectacular as a Michael Mann style crime thriller in the vein of Miami Vice, the story is overly complicated, the cast deliver Wednesday performances for thinly scripted characters and it’s just not distinct enough to separate itself from a […]
Vehicle 19 is a crime thriller about an American tourist caught in a web of Johannesburg police corruption, starring The Fast and The Furious’s Paul Walker. It’s an ambitious film that tries to leverage its star, city and concept to great effect. Unfortunately, the end result is vapid, messy and ultimately unsatisfying.