Absolutely everything! Well, when they are done well that is. One fresh example is They Shall Not Grow Old, Peter Jackson’s recent, extraordinary and awe-inspiring documentary presenting World War I footage. Painstakingly restored with colour and realistic sounds added, this film is composed entirely of archival footage from the British National Museum and a soundtrack … Continue reading War Films, What Are They Good For?
All Is True (2018, Sony Pictures Classics) Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Written by Ben Elton. Featuring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Sam Ellis and Ian McKellen. Kenneth Branagh’s new biopic drama is staged in the latter part of William Shakespeare’s life, when he returns to his home and family in Stratford-Upon-Avon and into the turmoil of … Continue reading The Two Reviews: All is True and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Avengers: Endgame (2019, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. Music by Alan Silvestri. Featuring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Brie Larson, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner and Gwyneth Paltrow (but the … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Avengers: Endgame (2019 Russo Brothers)
Us (2019, Monkeypaw Productions and Blumhouse Productions) Written and directed by Jordan Peele. Music by Michael Abels. Featuring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, and Tim Heidecker. The brilliant Jordan Peele returns to the director’s chair with another horror film. This time about a family holidaying in Santa Cruz, California … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Us and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
This may be an easy question, but what do Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton all have in common? They are of course famous for doing their own stunts, but also they have each broken ankles whilst creating such stunts. The Cruise-meister recently broke his ankle on the set of Mission Impossible – Fallout … Continue reading Looking at Buster Keaton: The Marvel of Early Cinema
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018, Annapurna Pictures) Directed by Barry Jenkins. Featuring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo and Diego Luna. If Beale Street Cold Talk, based on the novel of the same name by James Baldwin, is a romantic drama set within a backdrop of early 1970s racial relations in New … Continue reading The Two Reviews: If Beale Street Could Talk and Alita: Battle Angel
The Mule (2018, Imperative Entertainment, Bron Creative and Malpaso Productions) Directed by Clint Eastwood. Based on 'The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule' by Sam Dolnick. Featuring Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest and Andy García. Directed by, produced by and starring Clint Eastwood, The Mule is a crime drama/thriller in which … Continue reading The Two Reviews: The Mule and Velvet Buzzsaw
Green Book (2018, Participant Media, DreamWorks, Innisfree and Cinetic Media) Directed by Peter Farrelly. Featuring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini. Review 1 by Annabelle Davis Green Book follows the story of African-American jazz pianist Don Shirley (played by Ali) and his driver-come-bodyguard Tony Vallelonga (Mortensen), set in the early 1960s. Tony is a classic … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Green Book (2018 Peter Farrelly)
Mary Queen of Scots (2018 Focus Features and Working Title Films) Directed by Josie Rourke. Featuring Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant, Guy Pearce, Jack Lowden and Joe Alwyn. Mary Queen of Scots is a period drama set in the second half of the 16th Century about the troubled reign of Queen Mary of Scotland … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Mary Queen of Scots and The Front Runner
There are certain rules known only to a select few by which it is possible to predict the quality of movies. The origin of these rules is often obscure and difficult to explain. One rule which appeared sometime in the last two decades or so is Rule 263: Shia LaBeouf must never be allowed to … Continue reading Rule 263: Shia LaBeouf Must Never Be Allowed To Partake In Any Film That Is Good
