here’s two new screen prints from Mike Mitchell’s Star Wars Series – I hope you agree “Princess Leia” and “Wicket” are simply stunning – both so damn beautiful….
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“First there was an opportunity……then there was a betrayal – 20 Years later Mark Renton returns to Edinburgh to find a lot of change but also somethings that never change….”
From his gritty, raw beginnings with the uncompromising Shallow Grave to the exciting drug fueled Trainspotting, the quirky colorful A Life Less Ordinary, the post-apocalyptic horror 28 Days Later to his much acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire and Steve Jobs film maker Danny Boyle has been excelling & exciting movie goers for over 20yrs….
But for me, and some may disagree his early films are still his best work, small low budget, well acted, well written black humored slices of magic….
What an incredible, nostalgic, hilarious and momentous sequel TRAINSPOTTING 2 is – from it’s punchy soundtrack, quick snappy dialogue to the brilliance of Carlyle and it’s crack-a-jack visuals this is Danny Boyle direction at his best – yes it’s taken 20yrs to see this bunch of talent back on the big screen but can you just imagine just for one moment if this movie never happened? and the much publicized spat between McGregor & Boyle was never reconciled HOLY SHIT we would have missed out on so so much – like laughing in hysterics whilst watching Renton & Franco in the toilet cubical next to each other their faces a peach as the penny drops, or being stuffed up with emotion when Spud played by the amazing Ewan Bremner tried to kill himself and then being stunned with a mix of hilarity when he threw up in the bag that was suffocating him or watching once best friends Renton & Sickboy kick the crap out of each other in the pub and then you find yourself smiling like you were interacting with a puppy whilst watching them reconnect watching Georgie Best these moments make you feel alive as a film fan, pure cinematic indulgence….
TRAINSPOTTING 2 is everything I wished for and more, truly one helluva movie sequel that’s not only nostalgic but is equally as fun as it’s predecessor – from Danny Boyle’s vision, McGregor & Lee Miller’s chemistry to Ewen Bremner‘s sublimity and Carlyle‘s crazy this was a great night a the cinema and guys please don’t leave it another 20yrs to complete the trilogy ★★★★½
It’s always painful as a film fan to loose anybody you’ve admired in the business, even if that person was from afar and sadly the passing of Garry Marshall is one that hurts like hell – yes I know what your thinking “you never knew the guy so why the sad face?” well let me tell you why the sad face – Garry Marshall was a huge part of my television life, back in the 80s I would watch his classic creations Mork & Mindy, The Odd Couple and Happy Days the Marshall stamp was clear on all these shows, simple, effective and loveable characters that would bring tears of joy to my face, then in the late 80s and early 90s when I became truly addicted to film he delivered two classic film gems 1987s Overboard with Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell and then in 1990 the romantic Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts & Richard Gere, both fantastic slices of cinema that continue to get replayed in my home on a yearly basis – other much loved films in my collection include his 2004 film Raising Helen with Kate Hudson and the underrated Frankie & Johnny from 1991 that starred Al Pacino & Michelle Pfeiffer – so as you can see Garry Marshall meant a lot (and still does), his film style, his love of the audience, his performers and most of all he above all else his creations made me smile when I needed to smile most and for that I thank him RIP
From director Mike Flanagan comes the new supernatural movie OCULUS following a woman who attempts to exonerate her brother who has been convicted of murder by proving that the crime was committed by a supernatural phenomenon – a haunted antique mirror – the movie stars Doctor Who actress Karen Gillan and Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff – take a look at this pretty creepy teaser trailer….
Oculus – US (11th April) – UK (N/A) – Australia (N/A)
LAST VEGAS (2013/4) – Movie Review ★★★¾
Last Vegas stars Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Robert De Niro, Mary Steenburgen & Romany Malco – In their childhood four friends Paddy, Billy, Archie & Sam known as the Flat Bush Four did everything together, they were inseparable – picking up the story 58 years later the friends are now living separate lives & coming to terms with old age when out of the blue Billy played by Michael Douglas announces he is to marry – Sam convinces the other two that this is a great opportunity to get them altogether again for one last hoorah – VERDICT I pretty much love everything Jon Turteltaub has been involved with from his early days behind the camera directing movies such as Cool Runnings, Whilst You Were Sleeping and The Kid to his two National Treasure movies and even 2010’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Turteltaub always seems to deliver a fun night at the flicks and 2013’s Last Vegas is no different – along with the four main leads there’s also another chance for us to see the lovely Mary Steenburgen at work, her delicious charm blended with undoubted talent playing a Vegas singer who catches the eye of Billy & Paddy adds greatly to the solid storyline written by the super talented Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love) – with all the movies out there with endless violence, hard hitting subject matters & gross out comedy it’s so refreshing to see four movie veterans entertain the old fashion way and doing it with a swagger – from the dancing of Freeman, the grace of Steenburgen, the hilarity of Kline, the seriousness of De Niro and the charm of Douglas LAST VEGAS is a touching delightful tale of friendship & one that reminds us that we’re never too old to live our life and be kids once more….
Here’s 3 new international posters for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 courtesy of Marvel and Columbia Pictures – Marc Webb’s sequel that stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan and Paul Giamatti lands this summer….
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – US (2nd May) – UK (18th April) – Australia (17th April)
OUT OF THE FURNACE (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe & Sam Shepard – When Rodney (Affleck) disappears and the local law doesn’t do enough to find him it’s left to his older brother Russell (Bale) to takes matters into his own hands to find justice VERDICT Scott Cooper’s directorial debut Crazy Heart was a pretty average affair lit up by a fabulous Jeff Bridges performance but his second feature behind the camera OUT OF THE FURNACE is a powerful, mood driven picture set in and around the Blue Collar Rust Belt containing some Cracker Jack performances, a haunting soundtrack but most of all the brutal reality you feel whilst watching these two brothers who have not only combated war & prison but have had to contend with everyday life, struggling by in the gritty harshness of a small steel town – the acting is one of a master class with Christian Bale giving a sublime display of the wiser older sibling, Casey Affleck plays the younger brother visibly damaged by his time in the war who gets sucked into the underground fight scene to settle his debts, it’s a quite heartbreaking performance and easily his best onscreen display since 2010’s The Killer Inside Me and then we have Woody Harrelson playing to perfection the uncompromising, despicable hillbilly drug lord who’s character is such a far cry from that of Haymitch in The Hunger Games – overall from them opening scenes at the drive-in movie theater, the to the dingy underground fight clubs OUT OF THE FURNACE is an underrated, riveting piece of cinema that should not be missed!!!
DON JON (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Julianne Moore & Tony Danza – DON JON is written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and follows Jon Martello Jr. (Levitt) an Italian American, a sort of modern day Don Juan who has this list of things he really really cares about: “my body, my pad, my ride, my family, my church, my boys, my girls, my porn” – and although Jon’s a good looking guy and is actually quite sexually active he also has an addiction he just loves looking at porn on the web and prefers it to actual sex (his words) – on a typical night out with the guys Jon meets Barbara Sugarman (Johansson) and she’s about to change his life forever VERDICT Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s DON JON has the lot, it’s smart, incredibly funny, downright dirty and delivers an important message on how media can be fun but also strangle and be a controlling element in one’s life – due to it’s racy subject matter the film is not for children and can be quite cringe worthy at times with some hilarious American Pie style humor thrown in for good measure – along with fabulous performances from Levitt and the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson DON JON also has some great turns by the movies support cast including – Tony Danza wearing his matching white vest is a dead ringer playing Jon’s dad and the hilarious Brie Larson playing Jon’s sister, only uttering one sentence but is so funny glancing up from the dinner table on occasion, her eye’s rarely leaving her mobile phone (a trait I’m sure is only too true for most teenagers) – overall DON JON is a delight to watch and I’m so pleased that Levitt cast himself in the lead and not Channing Tatum as he originally planned, Levitt just carries the movie with a swagger and is totally more believable playing out some of the movies more personal, fun bit’s such as the confessional, the singing to himself in the car, his relationship with his dad (just like looking in the mirror) and his friendship with Julianne Moore’s character towards the films finale – DON JON is a movie I would highly recommend but it is NOT one for the whole family….
Akiva Goldsman’s WINTER’S TALE has 3 new movie banners – the film stars Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Connelly, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matt Bomer & William Hurt
SCENIC ROUTE – (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast – Josh Duhamel & Dan Fogler – from the directing duo of Kevin and Michael Goetz Scenic Route follows two friends, Mitchell (Duhamel) and Carter (Fogler) on a road trip through Death Valley – when Carter orchestrates a breakdown and attacks some of Mitchell’s life choices their friendship gets seriously tested and things slowly start to spiral out of control VERDICT having not read any publicity or watched the trailer to Scenic Route I went into the movie not knowing what to expect, yes I’d seen Duhamel in Transformers and some rom-coms and laughed at Fogler in comedies such as Fanboys and Balls of Fury but paired together in a psychological thriller directed by two relitavely unknown’s Kevin & Michael Goetz a couple of filmmakers who’s only other venture behind the camera was 1998’s independent short Mass Transit – surely this film was doomed for failure? – thankfully my negative thoughts were turned to positive within the first 30mins, along with the beautifully shot exteriors and Kyle Killen’s gripping story the real success of Scenic Route was the electrifying chemistry between the films two leads, it was like watching two actors plying their trade on the Broadway stage, pummeling each other, getting under each other’s skin and finally breaking down – it was at times a very dark, emotional and brutally gripping 87 minutes – overall this under the radar thriller is one of the best of it’s kind & deserves your viewing – hopefully it won’t be too long before we’re treated to the next movie by Kevin & Michael Goetz….
STATIC – (2012/3) – Movie Review ★★★½
Cast – Milo Ventimiglia, Sarah Shahi and Sara Paxton – Static is the directorial debut of Todd Levin and in centered around a young couple Jonathan (Ventimiglia) and Addie (Shahi)who are facing marital difficulties after loosing their young child in a freak drowning accident, their life is thrown in to further disarray when a mysterious visitor knocks on their door in the middle of the night VERDICT all credit goes to first time director Todd Levin (who also wrote the script) on delivering a home invasion movie with a twist – the movies slow pace lends to the tension and creates some descent character building, Ventimiglia is an excellent young actor who handles the lead extremely well and is solidly backed up by Shahi & Paxton – the director does well in veering away from the standard slasher style flick and unlike most modern day horror’s Static has very little violence but is one of eerie suspense and great use of sound to deliver it’s message – overall Static doesn’t break any new ground but is a well produced, well acted and entertaining thriller that leaves you more than satisfied when them end credits roll….
Getaway – (2013) – Movie Review ★★★½
Cast – Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez and Jon Voight – Brent Magna (Hawke) is a former racing driver who arrives home one night to discover his wife has been kidnapped and in order to get her back he’s instructed to commandeer a custom made mustang and take it on a path of destruction around the streets of Sofia VERDICT don’t go into this movie with any pre-conceived ideas, think of it as a popcorn movie, that’s not going to require much brain power and you will be pleasantly surprised – Courtney Solomon who helmed Dungeons & Dragons back in 2000 really does know how to orchestrate a car chase, the scenes with the mustang driving through the Christmas market and the bike chase scene are electric & superbly filmed – overall Getaway doesn’t set out to win any awards or stretch the acting talent in anyway but instead delivers 90mins of mindless, heart pumping, unadulterated fun!!
Not many filmmakers have spanned the decades quite like Martin Scorsese, it was the late 80’s that I first watched his classic, gritty drama 1973’s Mean Streets and since then have watched pretty much everything this New Yorker has set to film, from his early collaborations with De Niro and Keitel in the mid 70s early 80s to this centuries dynamic pairing with DiCaprio, Scorsese is truly one of cinema’s finest Movie Directors – he has received 7 Academy Award Nominations for Best Director (winning for 2006’s The Departed) and in 2010 he was given the Cecil B. DeMille Award – below is what we think are his TOP 10 MOVIES Behind the Camera
Our number 1 choice is 1990’s Goodfellas that stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci who went on to win an Oscar for his colorful portrayal of Tommy “What do you mean I’m funny?” Devito, the film is the best gangster movie I’ve ever seen and in my opinion the crown jewels on Martin Scorsese’s incredible CV – following close behind is the electric Taxi Driver, the brutal Gangs of the New York and boxing drama Raging Bull – at number 5 is the Howard Hughes tale The Aviator and at number 6 De Niro re-teams with Joe Pesci for the epic mobster, gambling drama Casino – at number 7 is the return of the hustler in 1986’s The Color of Money that’s followed by a trip down the streets of Little Italy in Mean Streets and the uncompromising movie remake of Cape Fear – finally at number 10 sees Daniel Day Lewis in 19th Century New York in The Age of Innocence
Martin Scorsese was born on this day in 1942 in Queens, New York – his latest movie is The Wolf of Wall Street that stars Leonardo DiCaprio and lands Christmas in the US and early next year internationally….
Set in a future Chicago where people are divided into five factions based on their personalities. “Tris” (Woodley) discovers that she is DIVERGENT meaning that she does not fit into any one faction, she’s soon on the run and alerted to a plot brewing that involves extermination of her kind – Based on the book of the same name by American author Veronica Roth – the movie is directed by Neil Burger (Limitless) and stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Zoë Kravitz, Maggie Q and Kate Winslet – here’s the trailer…. enjoy!
THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (2013) – Movie Review ★★★½
Cast – Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Olivia Williams & Romola Garai – a research team on Mars have nineteen hours before rendezvousing with their lander to take them home when a crew member’s discovery leads to an infection that turns it’s host into some sort of zombie like killing machine – VERDICT like most films that are based around an isolated scenario, it’s the character development that allows you to connect and get sucked into that particular environment, BUT in Ruairi Robinson’s feature debut there’s no real time allowed for character building, when this alien infection starts picking off the crew members one by one you find yourself not really caring who lives or dies – in my opinion the film could have done with another 30mins run time, fleshing out some of the characters and building the movie’s tension before that inevitable final killing spree – the illusion of Mars is captured perfectly by shooting on location in Jordan and that alongside the delightful camerawork are some real positives – THE LAST DAYS ON MARS is an enjoyable scifi yarn that draws obvious inspiration from the likes of Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey but due to the movies mediocre script and it’s short running time your left with the nagging feeling of what could have been….
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