Based on Peter Carey’s novel about the story of Australian Outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang of misfits as they tangle with the local fuzz during the 1870s – TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG is Justin Kurzel’s 4th feature film and from start to finish the film is harrowing stuff with it’s violence, harshness of the times depicted in brutal fashion by the Aussie filmmaker who broke onto the scene with his raw yet brilliant debut Snowtown back in 2011 – George MacKay, Russell Crowe and Orlando Schwerdt are terrific in the movie as is Charlie Hunnam and Nicholas Hoult both adding some menace to proceedings, and is there a better Aussie actress than Essie Davis at the moment? a totally committed, ballsey actress that has such a screen presense as she commits to her role 120% – Some of the movie was shot in the Winton Wetlands which I found such a perfect location lending to the movies haunting, barren yet majestic landscape – Kurzel’s movie is certainly not everybody’s cup of tea but it was mine and I would recommend the True History of The Kelly Gang to anyone who loves movies, I just hope it gets the exposure it deserves ★★★★
love movies
All posts tagged love movies
So last week I was luck enough to revisit one of my favorite horror movies of all time Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece The Shining on the big screen and today I visited my local cinema to watch Doctor Sleep and let me tell you something IT is nothing short of EXCEPTIONAL !! This is director Mike Flanagan’s love letter to the Torrance family & all things that shine, how he managed to recreate such iconic sets such as the spine chilling blood from the elevator scene, Danny exploring the hotel on his tricycle, the room to room interior of the Overlook, those scary twins and of course the overheard camera following Danny’s car up towards the Overlook accompanied by that haunting score God Only Knows – Ewan McGregor is terrific as Danny Torrence, Rebecca Ferguson’s Rose the Hat & her power draining cult known as the True Knot are so bloody scary, reminding me slightly of the roaming blood suckers in Bigelow’s Near Dark – some of their scenes especially the one that involved No.19 the young baseball player scared the hell out of me whilst the incredible Alex Essoe literally sent shivers down my spine with her remarkable performance as Wendy Torrence – Overall Doctor Sleep is a cinematic triumph that pays homage to it’s predecessor whilst creating a creepy atmosphere & super scary horror of it’s own !! ★★★★★

Just caught up with BLISS from director Joe Begos (and my first thoughts are WOW just WOW !! It’s quite simply brilliant, a drug fuelled hallucinogenic nightmare that turns half way through into a bonkers blood crazed vampire movie – The movie starts very slowly so stick with as the film’s second half will blow you away – Mike Testin’s work behind the camera is gorgeous, the films color and drug sequences are wild and Dora Madison is crazy and I mean crazy good !! ★★★★½
February 14th : 2019
DARK PHOENIX : Simon Kinberg
Sophie Turner, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender & Jennifer Lawrence
So with giddy excitment I’m pleased to say that the X-Men will return to the big screen early next year in what promises to be a mind blowing start to a new trilogy of films starting with Dark Phoenix the compelling story of Jean Grey played by the Games of Thrones actress Sophie Turner and judging by this trailer I have now watched several times Kinberg’s movie could eclipse all the X-Men movies that have come before it……
This is Simon Kinberg’s directorial debut with his storyline centered around “The Dark Phoenix Saga” written by Cockrum, Byrne & Claremont and not only does Dark Phoenix look dark, gritty and packed full of emotion but the casting of Jean Grey look spot on with Turner looking made for this role – There’s a storm approaching where friendships will fall, trust will be broken and team X-Men will be tested like never before – Dark Phoenix is already high on my list of most anticipated movies of 2019 and this trailer excites me to the point of wanting to watch all previous movies featuring these cool as hell mutants – Hope you enjoy the trailer and three new stills below !!
THE PREDATOR : Shane Black
Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K Brown, Olivia Munn, Trevante Rhodes & Jacob Tremblay
In 1987 John McTiernan and Arnold Schwarzenegger joined forces to deliver one of the films of the decade Predator – the film is not only an effective action movie but it drips with suspense, has likeable characters that you actuals care for and most importantly it’s a well shot, humorous scifi that actually delivers for it’s audience – so when it was announced that Shane Black (Hawkins from the original movie) was actually shooting a new film I was pretty sceptical, but as the cast was announced and a few stills dropped I actual thought ummmmm this could actually work – sadly after just watching the movie on the big screen I can honestly say what a nauseating, unbelievably bad Predator movie Shane Black has given us, it’s so bad that I can’t even remember how half the protagonists met their demise (and that was like 20mins ago) – sadly you can’t dress the movie up with some of the original iconic score and then give us a horrible story including a laughable 11ft Predator and his pack hounds, bad almost comical at times acting and that includes the usually reliable Sterling K Brown who should stay well away from villainous roles as he gives a stinker, some mediocre CGI (and for an $80 million budget there’s no excuse) and a whole bunch of unlikeable throwaway characters – Overall Shane Black’s The Predator is one ugly mother-f@cker of a movie and one that I don’t expect to revisit ★★½
BREATH : Simon Baker
Sam Coulter, Ben Spence, Elizabeth Debicki, Simon Baker
I’ve not read Tim Winston’s novel BREATH that was published in 2008 but have just seen it’s film adaption by debut director Simon Baker and it’s an absolute peach, a slow burning coming-of-age surfing movie set in 70s Australia where two friends Pikelet & Loonie discover a thrill seeking adventure amongst the waves – Samson Coulter & Ben Spence give wonderful performances as the two lads, the chemistry between them gives authenticity to their friendship and the fact that both lads are top surfer’s in real life helps enormously – along with the boys surfing & interaction with Simon Baker’s character Sando who’s a retired ex-surfing champ I really enjoyed the scenes between Coulter’s Pikelet & Eva played by the incredibly gifted Elizabeth Debicki these scenes are gorgeous and handled superbly – I must also mention the photography and especially the water sequences in the movie that are simply stunning and quite breathtaking to watch – If you’d like to watch a movie with no green screen, raw acting talent and a lovely story about friendship & adventure then Simon Baker’s Breath is for you – An Aussie Gem from start to finish ★★★★½
Sometimes you just need to stop dissecting a movie and have fun, let the action and mood of the picture take you on a ride into the impossible and the unimaginable and Roar Uthaug’s TOMB RAIDER is one of them such movies – I like many grew up playing the games and being slightly fixated on Lara Croft this sexy gun tooting computer icon who kicked ass and went on wild adventures solving puzzles on these epic treasure hunts, I even enjoyed the 2001 & 2003 movies that starred a young Angeline Jolie but this latest adaption an origin story starring Alicia Vikander in the title role surpassed my expectations I really did leave my critical side at the door and allowed myself to thoroughly enjoy the film – Vikander totally embodies the character from the games, she’s athletic, clever and she doesn’t give up easily – from the Hong Kong chase scene to the booby traps in the underground tomb, the foxy bike race to the Islands River Rapids Tomb Raider runs at a breakneck pace it really is electric and if you’ve played the games then you will smile and enjoy the scenarios that Lara finds herself in – other high five aspects of the movie include a terrific antagonist played by the fiery, downright cool Walton Goggins, Into the Badlands Daniel Wu who looks to be having fun playing a drunken sailor and kick ass side-kick to Lara and another well rounded performance from the underrated Dominic West who plays Lara’s dad Richard – Overall Tomb Raider is one wickid action movie, leave all your troubles at home and let Alicia’s Lara Croft take you an adventure of a lifetime – this is popcorn munching cinema at it’s finest ★★★★
I LOVED THE SHIT out of Duncan Jones latest MUTE – what a terrific story that’s totally immersive with some stunning visuals & a whole gaggle of TOP performances – from Paul Rudd playing looney tune Cactus with panache, Justin Theroux’s creepy as f@ck pervert surgeon, Robert Sheehan’s epic turn as Luba and what can I say about True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgård as the films lead apart from holy shit-balls – what I love most about the movie is how it’s story weaves a good old fashioned mystery in this case a girls disappearance to that of a futuristic setting, a striking visual feast of neon lit buildings and the darkness that inhabit them – this is the fourth movie for Duncan Jones behind the camera and I for one can’t wait for his next, he’s a writer/director that’s not afraid of taking a risk, creating something different and I like that – MUTE is an excellent way of spending 2 hours in front of the box allowing your imagination to run wild it’s a movie that takes you to some very dark places and is certainly not for the squeamish – I for one can’t wait for a rewatch !! ★★★★
Phantom Thread is simply exquisite – its one of them movies that once over and the final credits begin to rise you wish dearly that you could rewind the whole thing and rewatch – as is always the case with a Paul Thomas Anderson picture it’s not just one thing about the movie that makes it a fantastic viewing experience there are plenty – from it’s seductive music that haunts every scene and almost sends you into this hypnotic state, the towering greatness of Daniel Day-Lewis his alluring stature and his chemistry with his co-stars Manville and Krieps sends shivers down your spine as you slowly delve deeper into his character, Lesley Manville’s scene stealing role as Reynolds sister Cyril, stone faced, hard as nails but strikingly loyal to those she loves, those epic camera shots particularly of the spiral stairway of the Woodcocks and the immense beauty of the English seaside, and of course last but not least the innocence, beauty and intelligence that Vicky Krieps gives to Alma in the film is an absolute delight her scenes with Day-Lewis especially that surprise dinner confrontation is perfect in so many ways – THIS is film-making of the highest order ★★★★½
AUSTRALIA DAY : Kriv Stenders
Bryan Brown, Shari Sebbens, Sean Keenan, Daniel Webber
I really ENJOYED Kriv Stenders edge of the seat Crash-style thriller Australia Day – along with Bryan Brown & Shari Sebbens who is bloody brilliant by the way, it’s young cast really does excell & allows the films story to roll at a break neck pace and feel downright authentic – there’s so much running in the movie that at times I felt out of breath watching it all go down – the film brings to light a whole lot of issues such as race and underage prostitution and although there’s nothing new about it’s narrative filmmaker Kriv Stenders handles it well and delivers a movie that balances between a high octain thriller and one that also makes one think of the choices & consequences in one’s life – overall Australia Day is well worth the watch and yet another Aussie Gem ★★★★
HOSTILES : Scott Cooper
Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Rosamund Pike
from it’s gritty storyline, Takayanagi’s haunting at times beautiful camera work, Bale & Pike’s ability to suck you into Cooper’s narrative and Max Richter’s soul searching score Hostiles is one of the Best Western since Eastwood’s Unforgiven, it’s dark & brutal just like the times, it’s uncomplicated and I can’t remember Christian Bale ever giving a better performance – this is one to watch on the big screen, it’s a visual treat and by the way it’s by no means the Bale & Pike show there’s a whole bunch of stone cold, gritty performances from the tigerish Rory Cochrane as Metz, Jesse Plemons (yep him again) as Kidder & Jonathan Majors as Woodsen – Scott Cooper’s Hostiles is such an awesome ride LOVED IT !! ★★★★½
“Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s sacrifice, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of Diana Prince aka: Wonder Woman to help find a group of meta humans in the hope that they will help fight an even greater enemy”
Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, Connie Nielsen, JK Simmons, Ciaran Hinds, Jeremy Irons
Having recently watched the 4 most recent films in the DC Comic Book Universe I was pretty excited to visit my local cinema and watch the latest Zack Snyder movie on IMAX 3D and yep it was everything I expected and more…..
OK where to start: JUSTICE LEAGUE may not be as polished as Wonder Woman, deep and meaningful as Man of Steel or Epic in scale as Batman VS Superman but instead what you get is a comic movie driven by it’s colorful characters, humorous dialogue and chaotic action scenes – there’s a haunting, beautifully sung version of “Everybody Knows” by the Norwegian songstress Sigrid it’s actually quite emotional, the storyline and lyrics merge in your mind, there’s 2 fun after credit scenes that’s worth sticking around for especially that 2nd one WOW did not see that coming and don’t get me started on some of those kick ass fight scenes – For me Justice League is similar in vein to Ayer’s Suicide Squad it’s one of them films that doesn’t try to be something it’s not, it doesn’t require much in the way of brain power instead requires you to sit back, geek out and have some good old fashioned movie fun, after all this 2 hour slice of comic book absurdity is exactly why I love these movies just let yourself be transported into a world you’ve only witnessed on a page, there’s too much darkness in life so lighten up and enjoy – surely watching Jason Momoa’s Aquaman flying through the air, flirting with Batman and giving the bad guys what for is reason enough to put a smile on your face, I’ve been a huge fan of the big man’s since Game of Thrones and in Aquaman he may have found his calling – another character emerging from Justice League with flying colors is Ezra Miller’s The Flash, Miller gives the speedster this quirky somewhat innocent twist and some of the movie’s highlights revolve around him – of course along with the newbies the old guard do a great job Affleck’s Batman is as good as I’ve seen the character in my lifetime, Gadot looks like she’s been playing Wonder Woman all her life – effortless and full of confidence, Adams shows plenty of emotion and looks simply stunning and Henry Cavill even with those dodgy CGI scenes is getting better with each movie as Clark Kent aka: Superman – Overall: not much in the way of criticism here except that I would have liked to have seen more of J.K. Simmons Commisioner Gordon and maybe on a selfish note another half hour runtime (there’s always an Ultimate Edition to look forward too – wishful thinking) – Justice League is not a masterpiece in any shape or form BUT what it does it does perfectly well and that’s ENTERTAIN and at the end of the day if this guy walks out of the cinema with a big smile on his lips then that’s all that matters #TeamJusticeLeague ★★★★
MOTHER ! (2017) : Darren Aronofsky
Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer
a little Polanski, slices of Kubrick but mostly MOTHER ! is Darren Aronofsky at his twisted, nightmarish best – those who knock the creativity on the big screen then take a good look, admire and be blown away by this original slice of movie making, the big screen was made for this. Javier Bardem is great as the mysterious husband but who would have dreamt up Ed Harris & Michelle Pfeiffer as a married couple? Aronofsky did and let’s thank the gods, they ooze chemistry, drip intrigue and look so bonkers together it’s unreal. Overall Mother! is a powerful, emotional and stunning piece of original movie making – the star of the movie is Jennifer Lawrence who is in my opinion one of the screens modern great film stars, she captivates her audience with boundless energy, natural beauty and raw emotion – she truly does give Aronofsky’s Mother! it’s heart ★★★★½
WIND RIVER (2017) : Taylor Sheridan
Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal
WIND RIVER is directed by the talent that is Taylor Sheridan the filmmaker who penned Sicario and Hell or High Water – the film is based on a true story and covers the dark, terrifying subject matter of the disappearance of young women in an indian reservation town in Wyoming – although Taylor Sheridan deserves the plaudits for his smart script & direction kudos must also go to Ben Richardson for his photography that captures the harshness of the terrain and simplicty of each character – this is Jeremy Renner’s best performance since Hurt Locker, he really is a quality actor who gives a towering display playing this humble, loss driven wildlife tracker who finds the body of a girl in the snowy terrain – Renner is backed up onscreen brilliantly by the impressive, natural Elizabeth Olsen who once again demonstrates her ability to inhabit a character making it believable to us the audience, her FBI character is one of determination and will stop at nothing to uncover the truth – Wind River is a haunting, gutsy thriller ★★★★
IT (2017) : Andy Muschietti
Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgård, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard
I absolutley loved Stephen King’s IT and was a huge fan of the 1990 mini-series so when I heard that Andy Muschietti was bringing it to the big screen and the fabulous talent of Bill Skarsgard was playing Pennywise the Clown I was intrigued, excited and pretty much beside myself counting down the months to opening – well having now seen the movie I can honestly say that Muschietti has delivered the goods, not only does the film do justice to King’s novel but it will scare the holy moly out of you, it’s more brutal, uncompromising than the 90’s mini-series, it’s also jam packed full of typical King humor, great music and some inspired casting in the form of the Losers Club – for me Skarsgård deserves some award love for his dark, twisted portrayal of Pennywise the dancing clown, the menace of his vocals and his terrifying appearance certainly scared me and was actually pretty acurate to the book – I was also blown away by the lovely Sophia Lillis who is destined for greatness, her Beverly was played like a John Hughes character, sweet, aluring exterior with a gritty tough interior – them difficult scenes with her onscreen dad and the bloody bathroom were handled with a self assured maturity that will no doubt make her a huge star in the future and I must also mention the young Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard who was dynamite as Richie, his expressions and funny one liners erupted the cinema in laughter on several occassions, he was so good – overall IT is a refreshing R Rated Horror Movie that will give you night terrors as you eagerly await it’s sequel ★★★★½
“Before he became the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, a young cocky sailor with the help of his crew defeats an evil pirate slayer Captain Salazar, leaving him and his sailors marooned as ghosts trapped in the Devil’s Triangle. But as the triangle crumbles and Salazar escapes Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to do so he must form an alliance with Carina Smyth a beautiful, fiesty astronomer and Henry Turner a young fugitive who in turn have their own reasons to obtain the Trident….”
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is totally and utterley outrageous – from it’s incredbile mind boogling visuals, wonderous & colourful costumes to it’s impecable casting Pirates 5 is everything and more a film fan could want from a modern day blockbuster – I watched the movie on IMAX in 3D and had an absolute blast from start to finish, the robbing of the safe where Sparrow’s crew drag the building through the village was insanely bonkers, so much fun and very much a Pirates moment, there’s a delightful cameo from Paul McCartney as a prisoned pirate, the return of old friends (good & bad), an evil turn by the delightfully creepy Javier Bardem (how did they do that makeup?) and a top notch performance from Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, who once again delivers a mesmerising, funny performance of our much loved Pirate, his movement & manerism’s on screen are majestic, watching Depp in this form is why I class him as not only a very good actor but also one of the greatest showman’s of our time – Pirates 5 does what all good blockbusters should do – it whisks you away from everyday life to a fantasy world that’s truly magical – a huge thank you should go to the Norwegian filmmakers Rønning and Sandberg for re-igniting this franchise and delivering an exciting, hugely fun trip to the big screen – I had a ball…. ★★★★½



















































































































































