Movies

Monday 13 February 2012

• In Darkness – Movie Review

  

  Agnieszka Holland’s strong, confident yet heartbreaking personal films are less well known than her work on American films and series TV dramas, but nonetheless, Holland is one of Poland’s greatest living directors. 

Friday 10 February 2012

• Return – Movie Review

  

  Liza Johnson’s feature film debut tackles a tough subject and comes through with a passing grade. There will be more from her in the future.

Thursday 09 February 2012

• Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – Movie Review

  

  Who knew Vernians existed? That there is a devoted literary circle of Jules Verne’s enthusiasts? There sure is and this delightful family film celebrates the man himself.  Verne was a progressive thinker who created some of the best known and prescient works of science fiction of the 19th century.

Thursday 02 February 2012

• The Wicker Tree – Movie Review

  

  Not good enough to be scary and not bad enough to be good. Robin Hardy’s “Wicker Tree” is framed as a companion piece to his earlier “Wicker man.” Unfortunately, the two films have little in common beneath the superficial.

• W.E. – Movie Review

  

  Madonna’s historical curiosity is better than one might imagine despite her poor directorial record in Filth and Wisdom.  It aims to be a polished, elegant passion piece about an event that changed the worlds of royalty, celebrity and history itself. 

• The Woman in Black – Movie Review

  

  First of all, shout outs to Daniel Radcliffe for successfully growing up!  He is as far from Harry Potter in The Woman in Black as it gets except for dark and interesting interiors and “otherworldly” matters he investigates. But, wow – he’s a man, with a child and a job and a mature life! 

Friday 27 January 2012

• Albert Nobbs – Movie Review 2

  

  Bright, entertaining and touching, this re-uniting of collaborators sports lush sets and costumery and Oscar level acting by several of the cast.

Thursday 26 January 2012

• The Grey – Movie Review

  

  Here is one of the top storylines of all time - man versus nature.  Where do we sit in the scheme of things?  What is this thing we can’t control but arrogantly strive to control? 

• Albert Nobbs – Movie Review

  

  Glenn Close makes a breathtaking transformation from ball bustin’ femme fatale/ lawyer amazon to play Albert Nobbs in one of the year’s most poignant, heartbreaking and oddly quiet films. 

• The Flowers of War – Movie Review

  

  A pale rehashing of one of the most disgraceful war crimes in modern history.

Tuesday 24 January 2012

• Carol Channing: Larger Than Life – Movie Review

  

  Smarten up and pay attention. The Queen of Broadway enters.

Saturday 21 January 2012

• We Need to Talk About Kevin – Movie Review 2

  

  Great performances within a very depressing story. Do not look for the light at the end of the tunnel.

• Lula, the Son of Brazil (Lula, o Filho do Brasil) – Movie Review

  

  The prestige of one of the world’s most influential men will not be felt as much as the pure Huck Finn adventure of this urban survival story.

Friday 20 January 2012

• Haywire – Movie Review

  

  American Gladiators mixed martial arts star Gina Carano is a force of nature in the assassin-for-hire thriller Haywire. Known as the “face of women’s mixed martial arts”, Carano is a lone wolf black ops super soldier and operative and a radical feminist making her way in the world with only one man she trusts – her father.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

• Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission – Movie Review

  

  A genius at making money with computer games, space tourist Garriott will recoup little from this cartoon of a space adventure.

• Kill List - Movie Review

  

  You have to go along with this one. Give it a chance anyway and take in a good, creepy horror flick.