When I read the brief blurb for LA Vengeance – LA as in Los Angeles, not La Vengeance which sounds like a murderous, bodice-ripping French opera that I would definitely watch – my heart soared. A hard-ass detective’s beloved dog is stolen by gangsters and he’ll go to any lengths to get the pet pooch… LA Vengeance Read More
Gun Shy 2 stars
*** Read my interview with Gun Shy and Con Air director Simon West *** “Never mess with the llama… they are proud beasts!” sys a kidnapper of western tourists and would-be pirate in Chile, after a particularly obnoxious American CEO has tried to shoot one. It turns out llamas can projectile vomit at will, as… Gun Shy Read More
All The Money In The World 4 stars
“A man who has children gives hostages to fortune” said billionaire miser J. Paul Getty’s own father to him, a maxim that is not about money but about saying or doing something that sets you up for trouble in the future. Though in this case it is both, as descendants of billionaires are obvious kidnap… All The Money In The World Read More
A Woman’s Life 4 stars
“What good are the flowers if the fruit does not ripen?” asks Jeanne (Judith Chemla) to herself early on, little knowing that this will pretty much sum up her own existence, 30 years hence. A life not even half-lived, yet alone well-lived. This film from director Stéphane Brizé, based on Guy de Maupassant’s late 19th century… A Woman’s Life Read More
Bingo: The King Of The Mornings 4 stars
“Who says the truth in Shakespeare’s plays?” says Augusto Mendes, ex-porn star, ex-soap opera extra and now kids’ TV clown in 1980s Brazil. Handsome Augusto (Vladimir Brichta) is separated from his young son Gabriel’s mother, but he’s still an attentive father. He lives with his own mother Marta (Ana Lúcia Torre), a once-famous actress who… Bingo: The King Of The Mornings Read More
Con Air 3.5 stars
Nowadays assassins know if they piss off John Wick they’ll die. Twenty years ago, movie killers were learning to “put the bunny back in the box” if requested by ex-US Ranger Cameron Poe – a man jailed for manslaughter and now on his way home to his daughter with the aforementioned toy bunny as a… Con Air Read More
The Greatest Showman 3 stars
The Greatest Showman is historically inaccurate and hugely emotionally manipulative in a by-numbers way, and I could almost feel my heartstrings being tugged as I sat in the cinema; but if you take it at face value, it’s an engaging and at times moving musical. I just wish that they had simply made up their… The Greatest Showman Read More
The House 3 stars
It’s fair to say that, just as maths whizz Frank Theodorakis points out, The House always wins. And it certainly did with me, despite my best efforts to walk away, like a gambler who believes themselves reformed. I started watching this movie on a flight, but gave up half way through – the comedy was… The House Read More
Bad Santa 2 1.5 stars
It’s probably not a great idea to include the line “welcome to the shitstorm” in your sequel as the temptation for disgruntled movie reviewers to start their review with it is just so strong. Luckily I am more creative than that. But unfortunately Bad Santa 2 is really not a great movie. Where the first… Bad Santa 2 Read More
Star Wars: The Last Jedi 4 stars
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is long. A bit too long. But the final third picks up so much that just as I thought the film was about to finish on one of its many cliffhangers, something else, even better, would happen. It’s certainly a rollercoaster ride. And an exhausting watch, as bright ideas turn… Star Wars: The Last Jedi Read More
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle 3.5 stars
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is the very definition of a good-natured romp. And if you are as useless at computer games as me, it’s probably the nearest you’ll ever get to genuinely understanding their appeal. Four kids are headed for detention, and seeing them sitting in a row outside the Principal’s office – the… Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Read More
The Muppet Christmas Carol 4 stars
This Victorian London is delightful, as we really want it to have been – with snowy cobbled streets and a population of muppets, by which I mean funny American muppets not the thousands of muppets I usually find when I visit our capital city in a hurry. The opening credits include From the novel by… The Muppet Christmas Carol Read More
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