Clash of the Titans was disappointing. The action-adventure relied too heavily on visual effects, offering a tired video game script, wooden performances and substandard post-production 3D in the face of much anticipation. Yet as tarnished as it was, the blockbuster made enough money at the box office to warrant a sequel. It’s no secret, Greek […]
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are not a match made in buddy cop heaven. Hill, best known for comedy, got a tip of the hat when he received an Oscar nomination for his role in Moneyball, while Channing Tatum’s range is best encapsulated by boxing legend Muhammed Ali’s mantra: float like a butterfly (romance) and sting like […]
A bearded man with extraordinary powers, savior of a planet, died and buried in a tomb only to rise again with the initials J.C. The life of Jesus Christ inspired the character of John Carter and Edgar Rice Burroughs inspired hundreds of writers and film-makers with the Barsoom series of science-fiction novels, which have been adapted into the film, John Carter of Mars.
If a nice cup of tea, a dry scone and a fascinating game of chess against one of those electronic Kasparov chessboards sounds like a great night in… Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is your movie. Slow-moving, dull, dreary and stoney-faced – this Cold War club for stiff cigar room suits makes the dense two hour plod as inviting as […]
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a miracle. Why? There’s no other way you could explain it being nominated for a Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards. Grant 2012 hasn’t been the strongest year for Hollywood with only a handful of truly excellent films, but let’s call it what it is… extremely long & incredibly […]
Stephen Spielberg loves a good war drama and it shows, having directed Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Empire of the Sunand Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. All of these epic dramas were set in and around World War II, which is just one reason the Best Picture nominated War Horse is so different…
Material is one of the smartest, most heartwarming movies to originate from South Africa, telling the story of a young Muslim man whose love for stand-up comedy leads to conflict when his father expects him to take over the family business. You will love it!
Safe House is one helluva ride! Man-on-the-run movies have always been popular. They carry the thrill of the chase, the drama of a man wrongfully accused, the natural ebb-and-flow of a road trip movie and the narrative equivalent of an ant, a magnifying glass and a hot day.
Man on a Ledge stars Sam Worthington, whose robotic acting is best forgotten in blockbusters such as Avatar, Clash of the Titans and best remembered in Terminator: Salvation, where he was actually part cyborg. As you can imagine with any movie where the lead character wants to commit robot suicide off a high-rise building – expectations were low…
Skin… everyone’s got one, except that guy dangling from the tree in Predator. The word has developed a stigma and a deviant curiosity in Hollywood: Mysterious Skin, Skinwalkers, ‘skin flicks’ – and it would be rash to think The Skin I Live In, a film that nabbed a spot in Quentin Tarantino’s Top Ten Films of 2011, could cure that little niggling […]
David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo… didn’t they adapt the Millenium trilogy just two years ago? Why didn’t they cast Noomi Rapace, the ‘Girl’ from the original? Is it a faithful adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel? There’s an 8 minute movie trailer?
The award-winning documentary Inside Job drilled down into what caused the 2008 financial crisis by consulting some of the finest financial experts. Margin Call creates a fictionalised account of the most critical 24 hour period of the meltdown, featuring some of Hollywood’s most respected actors.
It’s no secret, 2011 was a dismal year for Hollywood. The movie machine is running out of ideas, David Lynch has turned to music, budgets are being screwed tight and we’re getting a spill of bankable franchise sequels and unnecessary adaptations. Although one actor seems to have risen out of the ashes…
The nostalgic The Adventures of Tintin animation series by Herge gave Belgium another famous fictional personality other than Poirot, one whose agenda often involved political conspiracy and espionage. The graphic novels have entertained their readers, delivering a soft James Bond meets Poirot type character in elaborate situations with freedom of imagination.
Rainn Wilson is Frank, an ordinary guy with no superpowers who decides to kick crime in the ass. Sounds a lot like Defendor and Kick-Ass right? If this movie were a person, it’d be Kevin Bacon, which isn’t surprising because there’s only one degree of separation. You could say it’s the Taxi Driver of superhero movies… just don’t call […]
You’ve heard of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson but who the hell is Billy Beane? Moneyball turns this unsung hero into a household name. The general manager for Oakland Athletics modernised the business of baseball in the 2002 season by using key statistics to draft overlooked yet valuable players. This is his story.
If you can adapt a theme park ride into a billion dollar blockbuster franchise about a drunken pirate holidaying in the Caribbean, you can adapt just about anything. That’s how we got Real Steel, a film that producers will vehemently defend against anyone claiming it’s an adaptation of the iconic tabletop boxing game, Rock ‘Em, […]
Paranormal Activity 3 continues the low budget horror series created by Oren Peli. The new chapter is a prequel, taking us back to the ’80s, where we learn where, how and why Katie’s haunting started. Critically-acclaimed Catfish filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman direct what could very well be the best Paranormal Activity yet.
The original Straw Dogs, directed by the legendary Sam Peckinpah and starring Dustin Hoffman is a controversial classic, notorious for its brutal “pleasure rape” scene, ultra-violence and previously banned video release status. Hoffman said he only did it for the money and from the outset, it seems that the new Straw Dogs adaptation remake may have had a similar motive.
Laughter is the best medicine, but cancer and comedy don’t mix – unless your name’s Mike Birbiglia or you’re watching 50/50. Disambiguation: we’re reviewing 50/50, the comedy-drama about a 27-year-old guy struggling to beat the odds after being diagnosed with cancer and not 50|50, the hard-hitting 27-year-old nature conservation show. There is a difference.
Time is money. This driving mantra for Western culture is turned into In Time, a full-blown science-fiction action-thriller from the mind of Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show, Gattaca). While In Time has a sharp young cast, a visionary writer-director and an intriguing premise – it’s not worth your time or money.
The caper film is one of the most difficult to pull off, but when executed in style – delivers sheer exhilaration as though you are a part of the action, committing the crime yourself as witnessed in movies like The Italian Job, Ocean’s Eleven, The Sting, Catch Me If You Can and Inception… so how does Skeem measure up?
Fright Night [3D] is a comedy-horror movie remake of Tom Holland’s 1985 cult classic. You know the VHS rental cover that used to scare the marbles out of you at the video store as a kid, the one with the massive vampire face laughing over a haunted mansion… ja, that one.
“All for one, one for all.” The same catchphrase that united Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting in song has returned as The Three Musketeers swash their buckles once again. They were okay when Charlie Sheen could pull off a moustache, they weren’t too bad in The Man with the Iron Mask, however, this may just be their most flaccid outing […]
Take Me Home Tonight is an ’80s style comedy romance starring Topher Grace, Teresa Palmer, Dan Fogler and a low-key Anna Faris… rare. Topher Grace, best known for his lead role in That ’70s Show, does what he does best… playing the nice guy who doesn’t want to finish last. He’s a good-looking man-boy, so […]
Have you ever wished you could be someone else for a day, a week, a lifetime? The Change-Up will give you a couple of good reasons to stop doing that in the body-swap movie to rule them all… starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds. This is not a Disney movie folks, in fact, it’s what the Farrelly brothers were […]
The First Grader is the inspiring true story of Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan ex-Mau Mau freedom fighter, who at the age of 84 fought the system for his right to an education he could never afford. This powerful biographical drama tells of Maruge’s struggle as he and primary school teacher, Jane Obinchu, stood up to a community […]
Final Destination 5 – the franchise has come a long way – relying on a tried-and-tested roller-coaster formula that brings audiences back for a thrill ride. The Final Destination, or fourth installment of the series was a serious low – delivering extra cheese with a gimmicky aftertaste that just ruined whatever credibility Final Destination had […]
London Boulevard is the sort of movie you’d expect from a director like Guy Ritchie. It feels like it was written with Ritchie in mind – given the setting, characters and dialogue. The problem is… the element of romance and the overall lack of action. Guy Ritchie is more about intense, slick and violent British […]
Cowboys & Indians – sure, Cowboys & Kung Fu – fine, but aliens in the Wild West? Go on, pull the other pulsating tentacle. Isn’t that why Bravestarr was relocated to a planet called New Texas? If only someone had whispered in Jon Favreau’s ear, “it’s a comedy”. Instead, the Iron Man director has gone […]