• Gravity

    November 11, 2013 - By 

    It’s been over six years since Alfonso Cuarón, director of Children Of Men and Y Tu Mamá Tambien, stepped behind the camera and this is truly a shame for contemporary. The man is inarguably one of the great visual filmmakers working today. His long, handheld shots with their ambition and scope genuinely inspire awe; this is a man who managed to take us through a concentration camp with gunfights, explosions and stairs without cutting. Cuarón’s friend, collaborator and equal, Guillermo Del Toro, observed a similar albeit shorter absence. Both came back in 2013. Del Toro’s Pacific Rim was a solid,…

  • Blue Jasmine

    October 10, 2013 - By 

    “This song was playing when we first met, do you know it?” On the surface Blue Jasmine is a portrait of a woman trying to climb back up the social and economic ladder into a life that she had the express elevator to beforehand. But beneath this and beneath the surface of every character in the film there is so much more to find. Woody Allen provides a view into a world that, for most us, is alien in almost every way. Yet through the strength of the writing and brilliant structure of the film, we immediately feel comfortable there,…

  • Insidious: Chapter 2

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    “So that’s what that was about.” When a film contains a piece of dialogue that’s as offensively condescending to its audience as that, it’s going to be hard to take seriously. But perhaps Insidious: Chapter 2 isn’t meant to be. While most of the film stays true to its shock-horror roots, things jumping out of closets and screeching violins intending to jolt the viewer, the film is dotted with moments of comedy. Some of these are intentional and, unfortunately, ultimately jarring while serving no purpose other than to remove all of the tension from many, many otherwise great moments. Inversely,…

  • The Way Way Back

    September 8, 2013 - By 

    I shouldn’t like The Way Way Back as much as I do. On the surface, it seems like such a typical Sundance movie. It’s a coming of age story based around an awkward adolescent male who goes on a slightly quirky trip with his dysfunctional family. Along the way, the family will undergo stress that might break them up, the boy will meet a “too cool for school” mentor figure who brings this young boy out of his shell and eventually the boy shall become a man and the film will end on an optimistic, if somewhat bittersweet, note. Wash,…

  • Rush

    September 6, 2013 - By 

    Everyone needs a nemesis. It’s undeniable; a nemesis inspires, keeps one’s internal momentum constant and forces a person to think of new and interesting ways to screw over their rival. The importance of nemeses and the depths to which we sink to spoil our adversaries is the central conflict that exists at the heart of Ron Howard’s latest film, Rush. The film focuses on the rivalry between two Formula 1 drivers during the 1976 season: the English James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Nikki Lauda (Daniel Brühl). Beginning in the Formula 3 division in 1970, the film follows their rise…

  • Kick Ass 2

    August 30, 2013 - By 

    The long awaited sequel hit the screens to mixed reviews and with one of its stars Jim Carrey boycotting the film, it begs the question; where does Kick Ass 2 falter? It’s been said that Kick Ass 2 is a sequel with nowhere to go, perhaps a slightly unfair statement. The premise of what a superhero might be like in the real world holds weight, and is still a thoroughly enjoyable aspect of the film. What would one do? It’s almost like starting a band; you build a persona set up a Facebook page, Twitter and get blogging. These are…

  • Before Midnight

    July 9, 2013 - By 

    Love is hard. These three simple words form the basis for many a Meg Ryan, Kathrine Heigl and Jennifer Aniston film. The process of meeting the one you will eventually spend your life with should be arduous and rife with high-larious circumstance. One of you will overreact to a character revelation before the great big “John Cusack with a boombox and some sweet ass Peter Gabriel” moment arrives and makes everything right. Never forget, love is hard. Except it’s really not. Love is finding joy with being with someone almost entirely without care. Love is actually quite simple, it’s the…

  • Man of Steel – Triumph or Washout?

    June 18, 2013 - By 

    There are mixed reports circulating the blogosphere with many flat out flunking Zack Snyder’s attempt to shape the controversial Superman franchise. Man of Steel has a dream team of Hollywood’s elite behind it but could it be a case of too many cooks? It’s easy to see where this film fails and the problem seems to lie almost solely with the direction. The pace of the film is completely off; a labored and awkward introduction eats into the film’s running time creating a knock on affect on the overall development of the plot. Throughout the film, time is allocated to…