'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' Book Review

The Wizard of Oz has delighted hearts and minds aplenty since its theatrical release in 1939. It was the first to adopt technicolor, too, allowing for the film’s transition into the Land of Oz to be both seamless and staggering at once. In the best part of a century later, there have to date been a number of sequels of sorts, television shows and many other interpretations – no surprise given that creator L. Frank Baum penned a total of fourteen Oz books.

Michael Myers Finally Comes Home in ‘Halloween (2018)’

Directed by horror master John Carpenter, the original Halloween pits suburban teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) against Michael Myers – an embodiment of pure evil who, as a young boy, killed his older sister on the night of Halloween for reasons unknown, before spending the next fifteen years in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. With a big kitchen knife and a plain-white William Shatner mask, Myers hacked his way through Haddonfield, Illinois, and has done so for decades since.

'The Incredibles 2', 'Mission: Impossible: Fallout', 'King of Thieves', 'The Nun' & 'A Simple Favor' Film Reviews

A little slow on the film reviews again, so here's a handful to keep you satisfied until I review Venom and Halloween next week...

‘Jurassic Park’ Review

 

There was a time when dinosaurs were perceived as nothing more than large scaly lizards, on both the silver screen and in the real world. It wasn’t until Steven Spielberg’s earth-shattering Jurassic Park that this perception began to alter drastically. That’s not to suggest the film changed the landscape of science, of course, but rather the viewpoint of the average person and cinemagoer alike. In fact, in the decades since, the film has been scrutinised by palaeontologists for some its scientific inaccuracies. In its defence, though, some were deliberate (who actually wants to see a feathered T-Rex?), while other representations were simply drawn from the research that existed at the time.

'The Predator' Review (Spoiler-Free)

The Predator is the third sequel to 1987’s Predator, which pitted Arnold Schwarzenegger and his fellow commandos against the now-iconic marauding alien in a Central American jungle. With incredible practical special effects, claw-biting tension, superb acting and some of the best one-liners in film, Predator remains one of the best and most original sci-fi thrillers to this day. Along with Terminator 2: Judgement Day, it’s also one of Arnie’s two greatest films. Its own 1990 LA-based sequel, Predator 2, however, fell somewhat short, but at least managed to make for some great expansion of the mythology in its final ten or so minutes. Fortunately, the far superior and criminally-underrated Predators in 2010 went back to basics with its jungle planet setting.

Christopher Robin and The Happytime Murders Film Reviews

Here are two mini reviews for films that feature fluff-filled characters...

8 Top Tips For Your Trip To Tokyo Disneyland

It might surprise you to learn that there's a Tokyo Disneyland in existence. Up until a couple of years ago, my wife and I had no idea, yet by that point we'd already been to Disneyland Paris, Disneyland California and Disney World Florida a good bunch of times. In fact, since our first trip in 2012, Disneyland Paris has been our favourite. I personally find the cooler weather there and its ample size – along with its quintessential European charm - incomparable. 

The Meg Review

Shark movies have come in many shapes and sizes over the years, but more so since 1999’s Deep Blue Sea than 1975’s Jaws (she was the first). Two species now plague the screens: there are the deliberately-shlocky straight-to-SyFy stinkers like Sharknado, and there are those that are worthy of the silver screen like 2010’s The Reef and 2016’s The Shallows. Luckily, Jon Turtletaub’s The Meg falls into the latter.

Why You Need to Experience Jurassic Park: The Ride Before it’s Extinct

If you’ve ever been to Universal Studios Hollywood, you’ve probably already enjoyed sinking your teeth into the nail-biting log flume experience Jurassic Park: The Ride  that celebrates the original Jurassic Park, which director Steven Spielberg himself couldn’t even finish at the opening in 1996 (although there was no “running and screaming” reported).

Film Reviews: Skyscraper, Tag, The First Purge & Hereditary

Here are some mini movie reviews. Yes, they're a little late, but to quote one of my all-time favourites Ghostbusters, "better late than never"!