FIlm Review
Film Review: Tracks
Tracks is an adaptation of Robyn Davidson’s memoir of the same name, chronicling the author’s nine-month journey from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean. Back in 1977 she decided to undertake the trek across the outback with just her dog and four camels. John Curran’s film is a more of a docudrama than a thriller, …
Film Review: Starred Up
Prison dramas are not my cup of tea in all honesty, but there’s been a few impressive exception in the last year years from Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet to the Taviani brother’s Caesar Must Die. Normally I shy away from anything remotely full of macho posturing, but Starred Up promised to be a whole lot …
Film Review – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
I like it when we see Kenneth Branagh named as director for an action movie. I like it even more when he gets to play the bad guy, all dead eyes, false smiles and charm. Game on then. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is a solid action thriller starring Chris Pine in the title role. Ryan …
Film Review: Philomena
Judi Dench starring in a film opposite Steve Coogan? I know! Who’d have thought it? It’s an interesting pairing which works, Coogan almost acting as Dench’s straight man for the purpose of the movie. The character of Philomena is often unintentionally funny, but even with this it’s Dench that gets to deliver most of the …
Film Review: Thor – The Dark World
So the second Thor installment. What’s that about then? An other-worldly superhero in the guise of a Norse-type god re-engages with his earthly love interest, whilst saving everyone from an evil enemy. They do a lot of world jumping. What? That’s Christopher Eccleston under all that prosthetic make up? A war! A monster! Some super …
Film Review: Blue Jasmine
Woo hoo! My annual dose of new Woody Allen. Sorry, but as a fan I can barely contain myself when another Allen movie pops over the horizon. It was something I resisted for many years, but curiosity got the better of me and viewing the brilliant Vicky, Christina, Barcelona sucked me in. Being a fan …
Film Review: Rush
Films about Formula 1 have a difficult act to follow after the 2011 documentary Senna. Even with all the CGI, big name actors and Oscar winning directors, how can a feature film stand up to the drama of real life racing? Rush at least has a go. Based on the rivalry between James Hunt and …
Film Review: Nic Jones – Return Of Britain’s lost folk here
Many people have such fondness for the music of Nic Jones, as the documentary Nic Jones: Return of Britain’s Lost Folk Hero represents. Focusing on Jones’ return to music after a terrible car accident late one night after a performance, the film shows both the Jones of old and the music he is performing today. …