Top 10 : Movie Cops

I've done another Top Ten for the good people at Top Ten Films and this time out it's movie cops:

From loose cannons to by-the-book boy scouts, the spectrum of movie cops is most definitely a broad one. While some make this list through their exceptional police work and commitment to the cause, others are in just because, to use a technical term, they are a bit of a badass. Some are rough and tumble mavericks who don’t necessarily play by the rules, but dammit, if they don’t get results. Others however, are just borderline psychotic.

You can read the full article here:
Top10 Films : Movie Cops

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 18th May

My weekly cinema guide is once again up for your perusal on Hey U Guys. This week has seen the release of The Raid, The Dictator and 2 Days in New York to name but three. If you're unsure what to go and see this weekend, go and have yourself a read.

Hey U Guys : Cinema Guide

Movie Reviews : Even The Rain

A while ago I reviewed Even The Rain as part of the Viva; Spanish and Latin American Film Festival in Manchester. It's released theatrically in the UK this week and you can read my review for New Empress Magazine here:

New Empress : Even The Rain

Movie Reviews : The Dictator

I have reviewed the recently released The Dictator for the good people over at Eat Sleep Live Film:

Sacha Baron Cohen returns once again to the sphere of scripted comedy which he last visited, to no great success, back in 2002 with Ali G In Da House. Since then, Cohen has focused more squarely on the mockumentary, stunts and interviews, style of comedy which he refined to great effect with Borat, and then failed to improve upon with the lacklustre Bruno. With The Dictator, Cohen has made a far more conventional movie considering his previous efforts but what it lacks in edginess and subtlety, it more than makes up for with provocative and deliberately offensive jokes. Some gags work better than others, and the odd gross-out moment can be a little too much, but overall there’s far more hits than misses in what is an enjoyably goofy comedy.

You can read the full review here:

Eat Sleep Live Film : The Dictator

The Critical List : Hitchcock

There's another Critical List of mine up on East Sleep Live Film, this time looking at the work of Alfred Hitchcock.

This time out, it’s a look at the best work of a truly legendary director and one of cinema’s all time greats, Alfred Hitchcock. Born 1899 in London as the Victorian era drew to a close, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock had an exceptional career which saw him make numerous films both in his native England as well as in America. His huge body of work actually spanned both the advent of sound as well as the advent of colour, such was the longevity of his career. His first directorial debut was as early as 1922 and his final directorial outing was 1976’s Family Plot.  After half a century in the movie business, it’s no surprise that Hitch has amassed an impressive array of must-see movies. He paved the way for generations of directors who followed, pioneering unique editing and shooting techniques that are still utilised by filmmakers today.

You can see which of his various classics I plumped for by reading the full article here:

Eat Sleep Live Film : The Critical List - Hitchcock

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 11th May

Ladles and Jellyspoons, there's another cinema guide up now for your own personal use. This week covering Dark Shadows, Jeff Who Lives At Home, How I Spent My Summer Vacation and of course Piranha 3DD.

You can see the full article here:

Hey U Guys : Cinema Release Round-up 11th May

Movie Reviews : Shame

I recently reviewed Steve McQueen's excellent Shame for the folks over at Flick Feast:

Steve McQueen’s second directorial outing after the immensely powerful Hunger (2008) is a raw and unflinching portrayal of addiction and loneliness. Michael Fassbender gives an outstanding performance as the cold and distant Brandon, a man whose existence is built around a well ordered routine and the need for sexual contact. He looks withdrawn, tired and pale throughout the film, a man haunted by his burning need for sordid thrills despite his apparent inability to gain pleasure from them.

You can read the full review here:
Flick Feast : Shame

Movie Reviews : Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows

I've recently reviewed Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which is out this week on Blu-Ray and DVD, for the good people at Flick Feast:

Guy Ritchie’s second outing with Conan Doyle’s finest sleuth is out on DVD and Blu-ray this week and overall it’s a thoroughly entertaining adventure romp. Fans of the first movie will find much to enjoy here and the sense of fun established in the 2009 original remains very much the order of the day this time out. Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law return in the lead roles and able support comes from Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and Stephen Fry as Sherlock’s well-to-do brother Mycroft.

You can read the full review here:
Flick Feast : Sherlock Holmes - A Game of Shadows

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 4th May

My summary of this week's cinematic releases is still up for your perusal should you be considering a trip to the mutliplex this weekend!

Hey U Guys : Cinema Round-up

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 27th April

My guide to this weeks cinematic offerings is up now for your reference. As expected The Avengers has dominated the box office as expected but there are a few other interesting releases hitting screens too:

Hey u Guys : Cinema Guide 27th April

Movie Reviews : Marvel Avengers Assemble

My review of The Avengers (as it should be called) is up now on Lost in the Multiplex:

After months of trailers, clips, stills and more trailers, the big day finally arrived. The build-up to The Avengers (as I’ll refer to it as for the rest of this review) began years back with that little teaser at the end of Iron Man and since then it’s been a marketing master class in accumulating hype. It was always going to be a massive challenge to all involved to ensure that it lived up to its colossal expectations. Here was a movie which would attempt to cram several franchises worth of stars into one story and still end up with an entertaining and coherent plot. It was undoubtedly a mammoth task and one which I’m glad to say, Joss Whedon and his gang pass with flying colours.

You can read the full review here:
Lost in the Multiplex : Marvel Avengers Assemble

Double Feature #6

Another Double Feature is up on Lost in the Multiplex. This time out it's a mighty fine Redford/Newman double bill:

This week’s double feature takes in a couple of classic movies starring two of Hollywood’s true greats. Paul Newman began his movie career back in 1954 with his debut in The Silver Chalice and went on to star in some truly iconic movies. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Color of Money (1986) and Road to Perdition (2002) to name but a few. One of the finest actors of his generation, he oozed effortless and easy charm and his charisma shone through in every part he played.

11 years Newman’s junior, Robert Redford made his debut in Tall Story (1960) and has racked up an equally impressive array of movie roles. Barefoot in the Park (1967), Downhill Racer (1969), The Great Gatsby (1974), All the President’s Men (1976), Out of Africa (1985), Sneakers (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993) and The Horse Whisperer (1998) all adorn his impressive filmography.

You can read the full article here:

Lost in the Multiplex : Double Feature #6

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 13th and 20th April

My cinema guides for the past two weeks are still up for you to check out. Hopefully it will be of some assistance when it comes to making your viewing choices. I heartily recommend The Hunger Games and Pirates! and am thoroughly looking forward to checking out Marley and Cabin in the Woods!

Hey U Guys : Cinema Guide 13th April

Hey U Guys : Cinema Guide 20th April

Movie Reviews : The Hunger Games

I recently reviewed the all-conquering The Hunger Games over at Top10 Films:

Like so many popular book trends, The Hunger Games craze completely passed me by. I hadn’t heard too much about the story until the hype around the film adaptation really gathered pace towards the end of last year and I began doing some in-depth research (by which I mean, ‘read Wikipedia’). I wasn’t sure what to expect from the finished article but after near universal positive reviews I was looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about. After finally getting around to watching it I was pleased to find that it just about lived up to its considerable hype.

You can read the full review here:

 Top10 Films : The Hunger Games

 

Movie Reviews : The Raid

I recently reviewed upcoming Indonesian action movie The Raid for New Empress Magazine:



Gareth Evans’ Indonesian martial arts flick The Raid has been on the film world’s proverbial radar for several months now. It’s been touted as a game-changing action movie and spoken of in the same breath of some absolute titans of the genre, but would it manage to live up to all the hype? The answer is an emphatic yes…but with a caveat.

 You can read the full review here:

New Empress : The Raid

Movie Reviews : The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists

I recently reviewed Aardman animation's The Pirates for the good folks over at Movie Marker:


Like most right-minded people I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Aardman animation and their impressive back catalogue. Wallace and Gromit, that most British of animated institutions, have always raised many a smile in their short films and the daring duo’s big-screen outing ‘Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ proved to be a considerable success for the studio. As of course was their feature length debut movie, Chicken Run. The studio’s last two features however saw them leave behind their stop-motion bread and butter and take a leap into computer based animation. The final collaboration with Dreamworks studios, Flushed Away, was not a major box office success, but Aardman’s first outing with new Hollywood home Sony Pictures Animation, Arthur Christmas, fared much better and was a hit on both sides of the pond. With Pirates! though, the studio makes a timely return to the world of stop-motion and in doing so has produced arguably their finest work since the Wallace and Gromit short films which made the studio famous.

You can read the full review here:
Movie Marker : The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists.

Movie Reviews : La Grande Illusion

I've recently reviewed the classic anti-war film La Grande Illusion for FlickFeast:

Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion was first released in 1937 as storm clouds were once again gathering over Europe. Rightly considered to be a cinematic masterpiece, La Grande Illusion is a powerful and provoking look at the senselessness of war. The title itself comes from a book called The Great Illusion by British Economist Norman Angell who argued that war is in itself a futile practice because of the common economic interests of the European nations. The destructive and costly nature of wars serves no useful purpose and its benefits are merely an illusion.

You can read the full review here:
Flick Feast : La Grande Illusion

The Critical List : James Bond

I've started a new regular feature on the excellent Eat Sleep Live Film website called The Critical List. The first one looks as the best of Bond:

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Critical List, a quick and handy guide looking at the very best that various genres, series and directors have to offer. To start with, we look at that most English of institutions, the deadly and debonair indestructible super-spy, Royal Navy Commander James Bond.

There have been 22 Bond films to date, with number 23, Skyfall, in production as we speak. While Bond’s adventures are much loved and still exceedingly popular, let’s not kid ourselves, they are not all of the highest quality. For every Dr. No there’s a Moonraker and for every Goldeneye there’s a Tomorrow Never Dies. There is of course a dedicated fan base who lap up every Bond outing with glee and can even suffer through Die Another Day without wincing, for the casual observer though, it pays to be a bit more selective when choosing your Bond viewings.

You can read the full article here:

East Sleep Live Film : The Critical List - Bond

Double Feature #5

Another double feature is now up for you to feast your eyes on and this time it's all about childhood adventure:

This week’s double header takes us on a trip down memory lane as we take in two childhood movies (assuming you are of a certain age) that are driven by a youthful sense of adventure. Somehow, whenever you had your own mini-adventures in the summer holidays they were never quite as eventful as the ones experienced by the kids in these two films. Whenever we did get on our bikes and head off into a wood or down the abandoned railway line, not once did we find a dead body or find an old pirate ship chock full of gold. Granted the pirate ship would have been pretty unlikely in landlocked Staffordshire, but there we go.

There are plenty of great childhood movies to choose from here but the two I’ve plumped for are both absolute classics. They both hark back to those carefree days long before the drudgery of work and the responsibilities of adulthood. First up is a Rob Reiner classic about four friends who set off into the Oregon countryside on the hunt for a missing local boy who is presumed dead after being hit by a train. Along the way they begin to open up to each about their own hopes for the future. It’s the ultimate coming-of-age tale Stand by Me. Next it’s a slightly more light-hearted affair which sees a group of friends setting out to find a dead pirate’s treasure in order to stop their neighbourhood being sold to the local country club. It’s the great childhood adventure movie The Goonies. 


You can read the full article here:

Lost in the Multiplex : Double Feature #5

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 6th April

My guide to what's new in the cinemas this week is still up for your perusal. Personally I can't wait to see Headhunters and can thoroughly recommend La Grande Illusion. Have yourself a read here:

Hey U Guys : UK Cinema Release Round-up - April 6th