It is difficult to talk about Casey Affleck in a positive light as a movie-maker without mentioning the heightened media storm that surrounded him in 2017, at the time of #metoo and his own moment of personal glory in winning the Best Actor Oscar for his excellent performance in Manchester By the Sea. The Oscar … Continue reading Light of My Life
Robert Rodriguez is not a good director. He isn't an especially good writer or producer either. This is the guy responsible for four Spy Kids films, that start below average and downgrade exponentially into excruciatingly awful. What he is pretty good at is ideas, and seeing the potential of something visually arresting and exciting. That … Continue reading Alita: Battle Angel
Welcome to the second in a series of collected reviews for films I either expected more of and felt disappointed by, or films I watched against my better judgement, suspecting they would be no good all along. For clarification and in full disclosure I did not actually watch all 3 as a triple bill - … Continue reading Bad Movie Triple Bill #2
Matt Damon asked Christian Bale how he had managed to lose almost 70lbs for his role as Ken Miles, following his chubbing up to play Dick Cheney in Vice the previous year. Bale just smiled, shrugged and said, "I didn't eat". Such is his reputation for playing real people with 100% commitment, apocryphal or not, … Continue reading Le Mans ’66
I'm sure I wasn't alone in the Summer of 2019 when Spider-Man: Far From Home was released in just needing a minute or two, maybe a couple of months, longer to catch my breath after Avengers: Engame, and what very much felt like an ending to the MCU plan that had been in motion since … Continue reading Spider-Man: Far From Home
It's been a while since Guy Ritchie dealt with some proper geezers doing crime and talking bollocks. Maybe there were elements of it in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. but really it's Rock 'n Rolla from 2008 we are talking about. Personally I hadn't missed it. I pretty much think he took it as far as … Continue reading The Gentlemen
When Disney Pixar launches a big new title it comes with a lot of expectation - there are just so many titles in the back catalogue now that will forever be considered classics. Movies that raised and re-raised the bar of what animation and family film storytelling can be at the very, very best. So, … Continue reading Soul
Robert Eggers made a striking introduction for himself in 2015 with the moody and disconcerting The Witch, bringing a future star to the world's attention in Anya Taylor-Joy in the process. You could argue after seeing his sophomore effort, The Lighthouse, that in terms of creating deliberately nauseating landscapes his work is the third cog … Continue reading The Lighthouse
The annual event of Charlie Brooker's Yearly Wipe is the one piece of satire I have been sure not to miss over the years. But 2020 has been a bit different, and finding himself in lockdown like everyone else, Brooker re-imagines the format into a full on talking-heads mockumentary that does away with himself as … Continue reading Death to 2020
As a movie star, which, let's face it, is George Clooney's main and best job, we haven't seen the guy for four years, since the largely underwhelming Money Monster. And, as a director, you'd be forgiven for thinking he hasn't done anything for years, so unmemorable was 2017's Suburbicon, with Matt Damon. It is a … Continue reading The Midnight Sky
The Wasteland 