After altering WWII history with Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino tackles the western genre in the US deep south. Sadly even Tarantino can’t undo the horrors of slavery, but he can damn well provide cathartic vengeance against racist sons of bitches!
David O. Russell’s follow up to his Oscar-grabbing The Fighter has just been nominated for a bunch of Oscars, so is the director on a mission to fill his cabinets with gold?
Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to the darkly humorous midget-baiting In Bruges does not mislead with its title. There are seven psychopaths featured in this sun-dappled tale of a screenwriter in California looking for inspiration.
Life of Pi is a film about stories, parables and metaphors. About religion, spirituality, God. About rationality, objectivity and subjectivity. About trying to find meaning in hardship; how to make sense of the inexplicable. The film is structured around an author chatting to a man called Pi (which is short for something amusing) about his eventful life.
Fans of sweeping aerial shots of little CGI people running around New Zealand, rejoice! Peter Jackson brings us back to Middle-earth, nine years after the release of The Return of the King.
Christopher McQuarrie won praise for his screenplay The Usual Suspects in the late 90’s, and his debut directorial effort The Way of the Gun is seen by some as an underrated gem, however it did not open an influx of directing offers to the man. Thankfully he’s back with a vengeance thanks to a burgeoning friendship with Tom Cruise, an actor who sees potential everywhere and always gives 100% to realising a vision.
Originally posted at film-news.co.uk.
The film’s only major flaw is a small hiccup in the resolution where the story pulls its punches, but overall End of Watch is a taut drama directed by a writer at his peak and acted with passion by the cast. Also, watching Jake Gyllenhaal dancing to Salt-N-Pepa is a sight to behold.
Originally posted at film-news.co.uk.
There is much more to be written and said about this film, such as how the climax completely avoids the typical ‘villain’s lair explodes around the fleeing hero’ route much to my satisfaction. Suffice to say Skyfall is both what you expected, hoped for, and is also pleasantly surprising and will be a tough act to follow.
Originally posted at film-news.co.uk.
Much like its predecessor, the original Tron of 1982, Tron Legacy arrives under much expectation from Disney and eye-boggling special effects, but again like its predecessor, it’s also a flat affair that might end up, not so much a cult favourite, but an acquired taste, though more for its inspired inclusion of Daft Punk than anything else.
Cihan Narin 