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The opening to Spectre is the sort of sequence that James Bond films are made for. It’s a dazzling distillation of everything that the franchise should be – visually striking, funny, sexy, explosive and exciting. And if the rest of the film can’t quite match up to that impressive opening, Spectre still makes for a … >
Of all the filmmakers working in Hollywood today, Guillermo del Toro is one of the most fervently followed. The cult of interest that springs up around any project he’s attached to is well earned: smaller scale Spanish language classics (Cronos, Pan’s Labyrinth) are offset against mega-budget Hollywood blockbusters (Hellboy, Pacific Rim) in his back catalogue, … >
The Martian opens with a shot of the vast, empty expanse of space, and for anyone with a passing familiarity with cinema, it’ll be instantly evocative of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi/horror classic Alien. Even the way film’s title text lingers slightly on screen is a very deliberate call-back to the iconic opening moments of that 1979 … >
It’s been several months now since Avengers: Age of Ultron was released in cinemas. We’ve had another Marvel movie since then (Phase II closer Ant-Man), and everyone is starting to look ahead to Captain America: Civil War next year, which promises to be perhaps the most highly anticipated instalment yet, given the provocative and tantalising … >
Of all the actors to star in a gritty action film, Owen Wilson is probably pretty far down the list. His lackadaisical comic timing is perfectly suited to comedy, but he’s never really shown that he has many more strings to his bow than that. No Escape might not prove that he’s a brilliant dramatic … >
US crime drama The Blacklist has quietly become one of the strongest shows coming out of America in recent years, boasting mystery, intrigue and a stand-out performance by James Spader as the career criminal at the centre of it holding all the cards. With Season 2 making its way to Blu-ray and DVD this week, … >
The Gallows is a late entry into what feels like a dwindling found-footage sub-genre, and it’s one that does nothing new with the idea. In fact, it’s a film that falls into nearly all of the usual pit-falls that the genre can offer – but it’s not all bad. The Gallows sees an American high-school … >
The Marvel franchise has always had a lightness of touch to it, even as the films have gotten increasingly weighty and serious. But when Guardians of the Galaxy emerged as almost a straight up comedy last summer, that largely unknown property took audiences by storm. Ant-Man is in a similar position in terms of its … >
Ted 2 is a film that holds absolutely no surprises. Whoever you are, it’s exactly the film that you think it’s going to be. Trailer had you in stitches? You’ll be in heaven with Ted 2. It’s as funny as you think. Did you hear the announcement that 2012’s first film was getting a sequel … >
The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are two of cinema’s seminal blockbusters. The two further sequels were of a lesser calibre; serviceable, throwaway action/sci-fi films, but the first two genuinely changed cinema, creating iconic characters and memorable lines, and boasting revolutionary action sequences and game-changing special effects. Over thirty years after the original film, … >