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Showing posts from February, 2017

Lego Batman Movie Review

Certificate: U Running time: 104 minutes  Directed by: Chris McKay. What's it about: Lego Batman considers himself the ultimate lone vigilante. After The Joker unleashes a host of villains on Gotham City, Lego Batman must learn to work with others including the young orphan he has adopted. The verdict: The Lego Batman Movie trailer was one of the best trailers to come out of last year's Comic Con, and as such I had very high expectations for the film. I would say that my expectations were mostly met. Firstly the characters are great, Lego Batman was one of the standout characters from The Lego Movie and he continues to be just as entertaining and funny in this. The supporting characters are also good, Robin's eagerness and Alfred's dry humour provide great comic relief. And this incarnation of The Joker is both original and yet familiar at the same time. The animation itself is great, and it looks really good on screen. There are lots of jokes to be had,

Sing Review

Certificate: U Running time: 108 minutes Directed by: Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet. What's it about: In an attempt to revive his once grand theatre, koala Buster Moon sets about organising the world's greatest singing competition. The verdict: Sing boasts an impressive cast including Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton. The characters are fun and likeable, and the singing is very good. The trailer is slightly misleading in that I was expecting an X Factor style singing competition. Whereas Sing is actually about a group of singers who are chosen after an audition, to be in Buster Moon's comeback theatre show. In this way, I found the plot a bit weak. Some parts of Sing were fun and engaging whilst other parts dragged and failed to keep my attention. I think Sing would've benefited from being slightly shorter in length, in order to make the pacing a bit better. A lot of animations are able to appeal to both

T2 Trainspotting Review

Certificate: 18 Running time: 117 minutes  Directed by: Danny Boyle. What's it about? Picking up twenty years after the original, T2 Trainspotting catches up with Mark Renton as he returns to his home town of Edinburgh. Once there he has a whole new host of problems to deal with, including catching up with old friends Spud, Sick boy and Begbie. The verdict: The original cast have all returned to their roles, and it's like no time has gone by at all as they slot back perfectly into their iconic characters. Ewan McGregor holds the film together well, although personally I found Jonny Lee Miller and Ewen Bremner the most captivating. Everything about T2 Trainspotting feels familiar - the soundtrack, the locations, the types of shots used. Yet it also feels new. However it's difficult to watch this without comparing to its predecessor which is where the film falls down slightly. The original was gritty, raw and at times difficult to watch. T2 Trainspotting doesn

Hacksaw Ridge Review

Certificate: 15 Running time: 139 minutes Directed by: Mel Gibson. What's it about? The true story of World War II army medic Desmond T. Doss who served during the Battle of Okinawa, and became the first American to be awarded the Medal of Honour without firing a single shot. The verdict: Hacksaw Ridge had been nominated for six Oscars, including a nomination for Best Picture. With that being said, I had high expectations as I sat down in the cinema. And fortunately I wasn't disappointed. The film has three distinct acts - focusing on Desmond's life before he's in the army, whilst he's training and finally the Battle of Okinawa itself. These distinct acts work really well. Firstly they give the film a good structure, but more importantly they give the audience the chance to get to know the characters and their backgrounds. This means that ultimately you are incredibly invested in the characters and how the story unfolds. I found that I was incredibly en

Jackie Review

Certificate: 15 Running time: 99 minutes  Directed by: Pablo Larrain. What's it about? Jackie follows the life of iconic First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, in the days following the assassination of her husband President John F. Kennedy. The verdict: Natalie Portman has earnt an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy, and you can see why when you watch this film. It's a showcase for Portman, and she brilliantly captures Jackie Kennedy's breathy unique accent. Jackie is set in two time periods, the first is exactly one week after the assassination of JFK and this is used as the 'present.' The second is flashbacks to both before the assassination, and in the few days afterwards. Jackie Kennedy's interview with a journalist is used as a framing device for the whole film, as she tells the story in her own words. This use of time is cleverly done, however it meant that inevitably you end up comparing the two time periods. The flashbacks fe

Lion Review

Certificate: PG Running time: 118 minutes  Directed by: Garth Davis. What's it about: Five year old Saroo gets lost on the streets of Kolkata, after boarding a train that takes him thousands of miles away from his home. Adopted by an Australian family, twenty years later he sets out to find the other family he never forgot. The verdict: This was one of those films that had gone slightly under my radar, and as such I went to see it with minimal expectations. Knowing it was based on a true story, I made sure not to read up anything about it, so that I could watch the story unfold on screen. Well I'm so glad I went to see it, because I throughly enjoyed it. Firstly the film is incredibly engaging. The film is almost split into two halves - the first half follows five year old Saroo's journey and the second half picks up the story twenty years later when Saroo begins to search for his family in India. The strength of this film comes from the wonderful storytellin

Split Review

Certificate: 15 Running time: 117 minutes Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan. What's it about? Three teenage girls are kidnapped by a man who has twenty three different personalities. As they race to escape they must work out which personalities they can trust, before the emergence of a sinister twenty fourth personality. The verdict: Firstly, and this should come as no surprise, James McAvoy is brilliant in this. He's able to seamlessly switch between personalities without it ever feeling jarring for the audience. The supporting cast are also strong, particularly Anya Taylor-Joy who has a great presence on screen - she is an expert at using her eyes to convey a multitude of emotions. Although Split has been marketed as a horror, I think it would be more accurate to call it a psychological thriller. There are definitely tense moments but it never feels scary. In a way, this was slightly disappointing as there was potential there to make Split a clever and original