Tag Archives: Category: Review

In the near future, British scientist Vincent (Toby Stephens) is squirrelled away in an MOD bunker trying to make super-soldiers of injured marines, with predictably catastrophic results. When new colleague Ava ( The Pact ’s Caity Lotz) suffers a convenient misfortune, he quickly turns her into a kick-ass killbot faster …

While it only pops up in the end credits, covered by Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen’s gentle, mystifying song ‘Suzanne’ seems like a guiding light for French writer/director Katell Quillévéré’s second feature. The lines “You know that she’s half crazy/But that’s why you want to be there” certainly chime with the …

Imagine a flying horse. Now, imagine that horse is really a dog. Now, imagine that it’s also a guardian angel sent to watch over the soul of a roguishly charming petty criminal. This is all literally true within the narrative of Akiva Goldsman’s spectacularly barmy directorial debut, but it’s also …

A Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood’s multi-Oscar winner? Not as redundant as it sounds: Japan’s samurai movies have long mined one another for atmosphere and backdrops. This preserves the 1880s time period, plot and much of the same dialogue – though boots the action across the Pacific, where Ken Watanabe’s …

I activate my focus ability to scout out the area and find an opening to sneak by the enemy patrols. A single guard stands nearby. Slowly, I inch my way behind the target and shift into the light for a moment to make my move. As quickly as I appeared, …

Bidding to be ‘The Russian Saving Private Ryan ’, Fedor Bondarchuk’s film loosely retells the true story of Pavlov’s House: a single platoon that managed to hold a building, 300 -style, for a year against waves of Nazis. It’s a cinematic no-brainer, of course, but one that is marred by …

For more than 60 years, LEGO’s been a peerlessly popular toy brand. Despite its ‘educational value’, the minifigures have charmed with their cute simplicity – an unassuming blandness that’s seen them seamlessly adapt various big-name properties ( Star Wars, The Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potte r, all the key …

Based on Joyce Maynard’s 2009 novel, Labor Day marks a departure for director Jason Reitman, best known for indie-coms with a side order of snark, from Thank You For Smoking to Young Adult . A kidnap tale with minimal violence that evolves into a low-temperature romance, this is an odd …

Finally, a British answer to The Hurt Locker , in this Raindance-winning drama about a troubled tour of Helmand Province. Writer/director Tom Petch is ex-army and the film feels authentic in action – or, rather, inaction , as disgruntled grunts question their kit, their tactics and the entire Afghanistan war …

The low Oscar hum surrounding Peter Berg’s late hopeful poses a question: can the director of Battleship and The Kingdom make a serious film about conflict in Afghanistan? The surprising answer is “yes”, the less surprising caveat: “to a point”. For “yes”, consider the pulverising mid-section, where Berg takes navy …