Double film review: A Monster Calls and Manchester By the Sea

A Monster Calls

From director J.A. Bayona (next set to branch out with 2018's Jurassic World sequel) comes this tragic-to-be tale about facing inevitable loss, through the eyes - and deeply unsettling dreams - of young Conor (Lewis MacDougall), as we drop in more than halfway through his mother's failing battle with cancer. But as Conor deals with the crushing weight of her illness, while also fending off his otherwise LA-based father (Toby Kebbell), his estranged grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) and school bullies, he is visited by a giant, powerful tree (a godly-voiced Liam Neeson, of course), who has apparently come to help Conor by offering three seemingly-irrelevant fairy tale stories, all the while encouraging Conor to lash out wherever possible. 

Still Fighting Those January Blues? Then Take A Trip To La La Land...

After reluctantly watching a musical I actually end up enjoying, I always come to the realisation that I possess a seldom-spoken love for a jolly good sing-along, whether it’s one of Disney’s animated classics or the much darker likes of 2007's Sweeney Todd or 2014’s Into the Woods. And then of course there’s theatre: The Lion King, Wicked, Thriller, to name but a few of the classics that have seen me fighting those unstoppable shoulder-gyrations. But quite often, I also find myself fantasising about living in a world where we all sing and dance in harmony and flawless synchronisation. What a world that would be. In fact, you could call such a place “La La Land”…

Collateral Beauty Review

Over the past twenty years, the strangely-still-fresh Prince Smith has established himself incredibly well as the bad boy of action, from, ahem, the Bad Boys movies, to last year’s Suicide Squad, with all the others in between too like Independence Day, the Men in Black movies, I, Robot and I Am Legend, to name but a gazillion. 

Assassin's Creed: Avoid If You Suffer From The January Blues

Who said movies based on video games are bad? Well, they have a point. The only real effort that usually comes to mind is 2006’s horror epic Silent Hill, which brilliantly captured the nightmarish atmosphere of the games. Then there's 1995’s Mortal Kombat, but that’s usually before I remember it’s a film that hasn’t aged at all well. In other words; it’s pretty bad, but as a guilty-pleasure it’s still a better opponent than its sequels. The same goes for the original semi-decent Resident Evil movie, now squandered by its endlessly-reanimating and utterly-outlandish sequels. Angelina Jolie embodied a perfect incarnation of Lara Croft, though the films themselves were pretty lacklustre. 

Why Him Review

James Franco has never been a stranger to comedy, having delivered some genius flicks in recent years, with the likes of Pineapple Express, the hugely-underappreciated This is the End (and if you’re a true Franco-fan, Pineapple Express 2), the insanely-controversial The Interview and 2015’s The Night Before and last year’s jaw-droppingly-unforgettable Sausage Party. And neither has Bryan Cranston, who might be more well-known as the formidable Heisenberg from AMC’s TV classic Breaking Bad, but had us all laughing our abs into shape in years prior during his days as the butt-of-all-pranks-dad in Fox’s Malcolm in the Middle. Now, Christmas comedy Why Him sees both megastars unite on-screen, though it’s not a particularly friendly affair. 

Rogue One: The Force A’weakens…

Star Wars. So much to say but such restricted word count to say it all. Undoubtedly the biggest film franchise in history, but perhaps at the same time, the most overrated. With the start of the original trilogy in 1977, the now much-hated prequel trilogy in 1999, and last year’s continuation The Force Awakens, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the official eighth film in the saga, though it’s not an episodic entry and is intended to serve as more of an “in between-quel.”

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them - Filmmaking At Its Most Magical

Move over Harry, Ron and Hermione - there are some new wizards (and a nomaj) in town...

When Harry Potter first hit cinemas in 2001, it cast a spell upon millions the non-wizarding-world over, and even with the series’ last entry in 2011 marking the end of the era of the boy who lived, the spell still hadn't dissipated. Based on the seven record-breaking bestsellers by J.K. Rowling that spawned eight films, a theme park, a studio tour, countless merchandising lines, spin-off books and so much (Potter)more, there's no argument that Harry Potter is the most magical franchise in cinematic history. And now, five years since the last instalment, that spell remains as unbreakable as ever, with the new West End play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child filling theatre seats quicker than a Quidditch match, its respective book flying off shelves faster than any snitch, and now, the release of the eagerly-anticipated spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 

The Suicide Squad Might Not Be The Heroes DC Deserves, But They're The Heroes It Needs...

Thirteen movies into the MCU, and Warner Bros. lands just its third “DC Verse” entry, making it clear who the tortoise in this race is. Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel have invested incredibly well, taking their time to establish the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” and never once rushing a release. But it would be a lie to say that they haven’t stuffed their films with adverts for future instalments, as it would be to say that every one of their films to date has been great. Nevertheless, while Marvel have been busy conquering the real universe, Warner Bros. have been desperately trying to catch up, with this year’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice being stuffed to the point of suffocation itself with its less-than-subtle foreshadowing for next year’s Justice League movie - DC’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers Assemble. 

Ghostbusters 2016 review

I won’t lie and say I’ve been a Ghostbusters fan since the original movie came out in 1984, being the same age and all - give or take a month or two. But amongst my vast – and ever-growing – Ghostbusters merchandise collection, there are only remnants of the toys I possessed as a child. As is usually the case, things disappear over the years. That, or your mother takes them to a car boot sale once you’re considered ‘too old’ to play with toys. So perhaps over the last few years I’ve been subconsciously trying to make up for this by collecting almost every piece of Ghostbusters merchandise under the sun. I certainly haven’t been to any car boots in the hope that some of my old toys are still circulating though… No, that wasn’t me.

Now You See Me 2 offers a different kind of movie magic

When Now You See Me came out in 2013 it was, for the most part, considered to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Whilst a financial success, it was criticised for its failure to flesh out its characters and conclude key plot points. But with a cast that included the likes of Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg and Mark Ruffalo, it was hard not to imagine a sequel being put together backstage.