‘Real Steel’ is set in the future but it has a very retro feel to it, coming from a long tradition of family – orientated blockbusters intended to rake in the cash by appealing to all potential viewers. The film has plenty of action and big robots, to appeal to boys of all ages, plus […]
The British seaside lies at the centre of an eternal paradox. For those of us toiling away in the big city, rushing off to enjoy sun, sand and seagulls seems an attractive proposition. Yet, if you grow up by the sea, especially when you hit your teenage years, you cannot wait to run away and […]
Anyone who has ever had a problem with rats in their home will tell you that it can be a pretty terrifying experience. Many nights spent lying awake in the dark (if you are brave enough to switch the light off that is) listening to scuttling, scratching and gnawing from an unseen invader. Horrible! So […]
“I killed my dog. My best friend’s dying of cancer. I’m ****ed,” says angry alcoholic Joseph (Peter Mullan) in ‘Tyrannosaur.’ His words perceptively sum up the grim mood of a film in which the opening moments see Joseph‘s poor canine chum kicked into the next world by his owner. Not the dogs fault; he is […]
I have not got a bad word to say about Tom Hardy, one of our most promising and talented young actors. He changes not just his persona but also his physical form to suit his roles. Hardy was amazing as the fruit loop convict in ‘Bronson’ and practically stole the show, acting wise at least, […]
When you think of the 1970s which images pop into your head? Glittery disco balls or flared trousers and tank tops, perhaps? There is a flipside to such rose-tinted recollections as the Seventies were also a time of drab brown interiors, too-tight suits and poorly chosen hair-cuts. All these latter items pop up in […]
‘Larry Crowne’ sees two of mainstream cinema’s biggest stars come together for only the second time in their careers. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts could easily lay claim to the be the King and Queen of Hollywood, given their long standing box-office appeal and success rate when choosing hit vehicles for their talents. The […]
‘The Messenger’ has taken some time to reach our shores. The film was released in the United States in 2009 and Woody Harrelson’s role in it saw him pick up a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2010 Oscars. Perhaps the delay is due to the fact that ‘The Messenger’ is not an easy sale. […]
A Spanish horror thriller ‘Julia’s Eyes’ arrives with the promise of great things. Chief among these is the presence of Guillermo Del Toro as producer. The last time he put his name to a Spanish horror/thriller, it was to the brilliant ‘The Orphanage’ in 2007. The Mexican writer and director has one of the finest […]
The massive success of the first ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film in 2003 came as something of a shock. By that point, the pirate genre was considered dead and buried. This was largely thanks to the swashbuckling disaster ‘Cutthroat Island’ which was released eight years earlier. How wrong could they have been? ‘Pirates of the […]
