Well, here we are again, another year, another summary. This year's post is obviously going to be slightly different, but there has still been a fantastic selection of great films to watch, albeit from my sofa rather than a multiplex.
After nearly six months, I finally returned to the cinema to see the most cinema worthy film. Huge practical action, a mind-boggling premise and a huge amount of noise, ‘Tenet’ is as Nolan as Nolan gets. To say anything about ‘Tenet’ is to potentially give away spoilers best discovered on the screen, so simply stated … Continue reading “All I have for you is a word…” (Tenet review)
The date: April 30th 2019. The event: The first Sonic trailer is released online. The issue: HORRIBLE CGI design of the main character. After a six-month delay from its original release date, Sonic the Hedgehog is finally released with a fully re-designed character. Unfortunately, in all the faff over the image of Sonic, the filmmakers … Continue reading “Uh…Meow?” (Sonic the Hedgehog review)
After the… disappointment (utter car crash) that was Suicide Squad, the best part of that movie finally has her own solo film. Margot Robbie brings the same chaotic energy as the movie’s title character, though the film’s title is far more complex than the final product itself. After the events of Suicide Squad (I think, … Continue reading “Whoa, you’re that psycho chick…” (Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn review)
After practicing with the opening sequence of Spectre, director Sam Mendes brings us a relentless WWI film that appears to all take place in one shot. A breathtakingly visceral film, it proves what an accomplished voice in cinema Sam Mendes is.
“A thousand generations live in you now”. Luke’s utterance must have also been what J. J. Abrams heard when he was asked to direct the final episode in the Skywalker Saga. Every generation of child, young or old, was waiting to see what he was going to do with the final chapter. The answer? He … Continue reading “A thousand generations live in you now” (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker review)
After playing Dick Chaney in Vice, Christian Bale has now lost all that weight to star alongside Matt Damon in a film about racing. You’ve gotta love Bale for his diversity in choosing projects, but he clearly has a keen eye for greatness because this film, which sports some phenomenal racing sequences, is absolutely fantastic.
Aardman have been responsible for some of the funniest and most British films of recent years. There aren’t many production studios that can take a minor character from another franchise, make a spin-off TV series from it, and then two feature films from that, and STILL maintain originality and freshness. However, with 'Farmageddon', they have managed to still do justice to that little sheep from ‘A Close Shave’.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day has long been one of my favourite films. Its action, its emotion and its CGI are all stunning for its age, and upon countless re-watches it still holds up as one of the greatest films ever made. The team behind Terminator: Dark Fate clearly noticed that, and decided to try duplicating that film. What’s left is a fairly enjoyable action flick with none of the flair of the originals.
In 2019’s answer to the endless popularity of Space Exploration films, ‘Ad Astra’ presents a poetic narrative that wouldn’t be out of place in ‘2001’. In Brad Pitt’s second film of the year, he voyages away from 1969 and into the near distant future to tell a story of hope, determination and fatherhood.
Daniel Robinson: From Reel to Real 