With state-of-the-art Russian submarine Kursk now at the bottom of the sea, and Russian rescue equipment mostly sold off, Royal Navy Commodore David Russell (Colin Firth) asks Admiral Vyacheslav Grudzinsky (Peter Simonischek) if his bosses will let the British in: “not until I’ve tried a sufficient number of times to do the impossible with the… Kursk: The Last Mission Read More
Kursk: The Last Mission trailer – Schoenaerts stars in tragic story of supposedly unsinkable sub
*** My 3.5 star review of Kursk: The Last Mission *** I’m expecting heroism but no happy ending with this one, as Kursk: The Last Mission is based on a true – and desperately sad – story from 19 years ago, when the Russian Kursk submarine ended up on the ocean floor after a terrible fire…. Kursk: The Last Mission trailer – Schoenaerts stars in tragic story of supposedly unsinkable sub Read More
Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb 5 stars
*** Check out my interview with Matt Wells, director of Stanley Kubrick Considers The Bomb, the short film showing with the new 4k Dr Strangelove *** It shows how easily I slipped back into my 1980s-era Armageddon obsession when – on realising Stanley Kubrick’s classic Dr Strangelove is 95 minutes long – I decided to… Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb Read More
Black Sea 4 stars
*** Check out my submarine movies section *** Black Sea is a brutal watch, almost a horror film as the deaths mount, with fear itself a virus. And although not a straight East-West underwater battle, it still has Westerners fighting with Russians. At one point they each take over different ends of their submarine, with the Brits… Black Sea Read More
The Hunt For Red October 4 stars
*** Check out my submarine movies section *** I miss the Cold War. We knew where we stood – permanently on the brink of nuclear annihilation, obviously. But those proxy wars and chess matches were, mostly, holding us back from the brink, playing out within agreed confines. The dangers were huge but we at least knew who… The Hunt For Red October Read More
Crimson Tide 4 stars
*** Check out my submarine movies section *** “In the nuclear world the enemy is war itself” says Lt Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington), during a rather spiky discussion with his war-hardened and instinctive Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman). Two men: one Hunter, one Killer, I mean Ramsey, with the fate of the world in their hands…. Crimson Tide Read More
Hunter Killer 3.5 stars
*** Check out my submarine movies section *** One side-effect of the current political situation is that films like Hunter Killer are stuck in that 1990s post-Cold War warm glow where protagonists and presidents are decent people who just happen to have been born on different sides of an arbitrary border. While their real life equivalents are… Hunter Killer Read More
The Meg, But Metal: Second Hunter Killer Trailer Is Here
…and a new red poster! The film’s out in Oktober so not long to wait now until Gerry saves me, I mean us, from World War 3. *** Read my Hunter Killer review now *** Check out the new trailer below – you can also see the first Hunter Killer trailer (released back in July)… The Meg, But Metal: Second Hunter Killer Trailer Is Here Read More
The Seagull 3.5 stars
To Irina, a famous actress, all the world’s a stage, its boards to be trod only in full make-up and costume. Yet she never looks more youthful or more happy than the one occasional we see her face naked, rich auburn curls snaking down her back, as she rushes from her bed and her… The Seagull Read More
Siberia 2.5 stars
There’s a coldness to Matthew Ross’s new thriller Siberia that goes way beyond bleakly sub-zero temperatures and beautiful ice-blue diamonds. That and the nihilistic icy clarity of how Lucas Hill’s story will end make it hard to really engage with. Still, his relationships with his new girlfriend and her brother are bleakly funny, and there’s… Siberia Read More
Death Of Stalin 4 stars
It’s amazing any decisions get made at all, both before and after Stalin’s death, as everyone is so paralysed with fear. The consequences of saying the wrong thing which they were previously so convinced was the right thing are terrifying. Being in the Soviet Politburo does sound a lot like being on Twitter. Well, most… Death Of Stalin Read More
Fate Of The Furious (Fast 8) 4 stars
The Fast And The Furious franchise started way back in 2001 and Fate Of The Furious is the first of the series that I’ve seen. Mainly as I rarely drive so it takes me about 16 years to get anywhere. Still, I saw this today, and really, really enjoyed it. It’s so cheesy they should sell the DVD… Fate Of The Furious (Fast 8) Read More