Recent Reviews

‘The Thing’ is a grotesquely eloquent special FX extravaganza; a startling exploration of suspense and paranoia, a psychological horror-thriller (that can mentally scar the uninitiated), and it’s an absolutely ingenious film; directed by horror aficionado – John Carpenter. This movie leaves a lasting impression on anyone who watches it. 

It’s a truly well-crafted piece of cerebral horror, playing off a person’s natural phobias and the human inclination to suspect those around them, watching ‘The Thing’ is a paranoia inducing experience. The majority of us do not deal well with isolation and claustrophobic environments, this is an absolute truth. As a piece of cinema, ‘The Thing’ highlights this truth; and succeeds in exploring the effects it can have on the human psyche. 

‘The Thing’ (1982) is a remake of ‘The Thing from Another World’ (1951) a black & white classic film that was also said to have pioneered progress in the area of visual effects. 

“I don’t want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me.” – Jack Costello

‘The Departed’ is a 2006 Irish-American crime-thriller directed by Martin Scorsese.

It is considered by many to be one of his seminal, modern motion pictures. It’s a tour-de-force – incorporating the finer elements of filmmaking that Scorsese has acquired through a long and storied career. The acting, pacing, score, visuals, editing, and an expertly crafted narrative; all come together to form something truly riveting and roguishly romantic. With little touches of comedy and stylistic wit, that work to balance out the more somber moments — in my ardent opinion, ‘The Departed’ is among the most moving crime-capers put to screen, rivaled only by ‘Casino’ – one of Scorsese’s formerly oft lauded gangster epics.

‘Down Below’ is a soon to be released Grindhouse horror-film by director Spyder Dobrofsky. It doesn’t fully outshine its predecessors in the horror-genre, but it does manage to deliver a viewing exp. that proves to be quite a heap of fun — if you like a heavy serving of “kitsch” with your scary movies.

‘Down Below’ is a low-budget gem (albeit with some imperfections) providing standout performances from Doug Jones, Bai Ling, Alexis Knapp, and David Steen as the mysterious “Mr Monday”. The narrative is somewhat Lynchian in its approach, reminiscent of the director’s smaller pictures: ‘Mulholland Drive’, and ‘The Lost Highway’ – in that it gives the viewer visually disconnected scenes in an attempt to construe the apprehension and confusion the characters are going through. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and nonlinear storytelling are all utilized to abandon.

‘GoldenEye’, is the 17th installment in the James Bond film series, a post-cold war action/spy-thriller that capitalizes on the real world tensions left over from the collapse of the USSR. ‘GoldenEye’ – the first film to dispense with reliance on Ian Fleming’s literary works for source material, and it had the near impossible job of revitalizing a franchise that many thought to have lost its mass appeal.

Martin Campbell directed this feature, it stars Pierce Brosnan in the lead role as the charismatic and dangerous secret agent – 007. Sean Bean stars as well: playing the part of Alec Trevelyan/006  – a turncoat MI6 agent, the main villain of the film. Judi Dench takes over for Robert Brown in the role of “M”, and we’re introduced to Isabella Scaruptco as Natalya Simonova — a hacker turned Russian defector — and eventually, Bond’s love interest and ally. 

Famke Janssen is stunning as Xenia Onatopp: a salacious JANUS agent working against Bond, who is shown to be more than capable as an assassin. And finally, Desmond Llewelyn reprises his role as series stand-by “Q”, the man who provides Bond with his equipment and state-of-the-art gadgets.

So, is “real” cinema destined to “go the way of the dinosaur” in the age of digital media and streaming platforms?

Yes, it seems highly likely. 

“In a groundbreaking moment, Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in a deal that puts a major Hollywood studio back in the business of owning a movie theater for the first time in more than 75 years with certain exceptions.”

Jun 12, 2024

The Hollywood Reporter [1]

Judging by this recent move, fiduciary projections are not looking good for Cineplex, Odeon, and other major cinemas. These larger chains are going to have to find some miraculous cost-cutting measures or face reality – streaming media is winning.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

If there’s a better film with Jeff Bridges in the leading role — I’m absolutely sure — I don’t know what it is. ‘The Big Lebowski’ is a mind-bending, hilarity inducing, neo-noir crime-dramedy with nihilistic and absurd overtones, and some pretty absurd nihilists as well. 

What I mean to say is this; the movie is bizarre – in the best kind of way. 

The Coen. Bros directed this underground hit, which went on to become one of the most popular cult films ever made. ‘The Big Lebowski’ may even have spawned an entire culture of hipsters, ushering in the era of beard wax and men’s shaving clubs. It’s a film that screams “quirky” in a way that lets you know it’s not f**cking around. If you expected a straight-up narrative with formulaic characters and archetypes, look somewhere else. 

Like a pulp era adventure-fantasy novel came to life, ‘King Kong’ delivers fast-paced action with a bang — and melodrama by the bucket-full.

• ‘Heart of Darkness’ is referenced in the movie, Jimmy is reading it.  Successful nod to a literary classic.

• Begins with some suspense but quickly course-corrects with silly antics; the hamfisted comedy on-screen harkens back to early era cinema. Is stylistically similar to Disney epics like ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘Jungle Cruise’ — both a positive and a negative, more on that later!

• The homage/tribute to the 1930s version; nice touch, in this movie we are watching the expedition that “filmed” the first King Kong motion picture. The (implied) contrast between the original colourless visuals vs the high-gloss saturated look of the newer film is very pleasing. Breathing new life into iconic imagery isn’t just a gimmick; this movie knows that.

In ‘Dune’ the visual opulence is awe inspiring — innate architectures, panoramic shots of natural beauty; seamless scene transitions, remarkable compositions, and of course expert colour grading. The cinematography is truly unique — unlike any science fiction film that has come before — save maybe ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

 Denis Villenieuve directed this picture ‘Dune: Part I’ magnificently, managing to undo the stigma caused by the failings of previous adaptations of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece. 

Much like the spice melange, ‘Dune’ is now the hottest commodity in the known universe.

He’s charismatic enough to make the role memorable and has the star-power to sell tickets.

Comic book villains often deliver a triumphant final speech – no one else delivers monologues like Robert Downey; no one. He’s top tier!

The characters of Iron Man and Dr. Doom are symmetrical in a thematic sense. Both are billionaire sycophants who seek to control the world around them. And they both wear masks — so there’s that.

Comics are a medium that often rely on “heel turns”, a term borrowed from wrestling that refers to the moment when a heroic figure turns into a “heel” or a villain. In essence this recasting is in keeping with tradition — especially if Doom ends up being a Tony Stark variant. [1]

“Logic points to Downey’s Doctor Doom being from the same world that is home to the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps, which takes place in an alternate version of Earth within the vast multiverse. It is possible, while feeling oddly implausible, for Victor von Doom to look like Tony Stark on that alternate Earth.”

– Ryan Reynolds is a massively experienced actor with 61 pictures and 24 television series listed in his filmography.

– He made sure that ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ did not end up with an inflated budget; ensuring that the film had the same “micro-budget feel” as the previous two entries. [1] IMDb.com

-Reynolds is a Canadian actor who was born in Vancouver, BC.

-He’s one of the higher paid entertainers working today, with a net worth of $350 million USD (2024).

-Ryan’s earlier attempts at appearing in superhero properties ended in spectacular failure, ”Green Lantern’ and ‘X-Men Wolverine: Origins’ were critical-flops and commercial losses, both motion pictures featured the actor in a key role.

-Reynolds first rose to prominence with his breakout film National Lampoon’s ‘Van Wilder’ (2002).

Kingsman: The Secret Service

What a ride!

Hold my umbrella as I regale you with a tale of secret agents, Oxford whites and technocrat billionaires. If you took Ian Flemming and added Guy Ritchie’s sensibilities – the outcome would be: Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Kingsman’ movies. ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ is an absurdist nightmare with cheeky overtones; providing levity for an audience that otherwise might be nonplussed with the now rather tired tropes of the spy thriller genre.

Colin Firth takes the lead – starring as Harry Hart AKA agent “Gallahad” – a pastiche of British superspy James Bond and ‘Get Smart’s’ Maxwell Smart. Agent Gallahad is a man not to be trifled with; he’s humanity’s last hope to prevent a planned doomsday event, working alongside a new agent-in-training, “Eggsy” – played expertly by Taron Eggerton.