Set in Europe some 20,000 years ago (yes, roughly the age Brexiteers would like to return us to), this stylised account of the domestication of dogs has its fair share of stunning visuals. The mixture of animatronics, CGI and real animals doesn’t quite avoid wonkiness in some places though. And… Continue reading
Winter’s Bone director Debra Granik’s new film follows survivalist father Will & his 13 yr old daughter Tom. They live in a vibrant green forest national park outside Portland, in a makeshift camp. We follow them going about their tasks of preparing food, fixing the camp and growing provisions with… Continue reading
John Krasinski directs and stars in a taut, post apocalyptic movie, the premise of which is that any sound is usually followed swiftly by a violent death. It’s a great set up for a film, as you rapidly become aware how much of human activity necessitates making sound – communication,… Continue reading
Soon after “the Miracle on the Hudson” you knew they’d make a film about it. The problem was that the actual action wasn’t long enough for an aeroplane disaster movie. They take off, birds, strike, and within minutes they’re landing on the Hudson. It’s impressive but it’s not a ninety… Continue reading
After The Shallows, this is the second, non-Sharknado type shark movie this year. It centres on two sisters, Lisa and Kate, holidaying in Mexico who decide to do the tourist thing of going down in a shark cage from Matthew Modine’s slightly shabby boat. It never ends well for Americans… Continue reading
Ok, let’s just get it out in the open – Jaws, Jaws, Jaws, Jaws. Spielberg’s classic (and as you’ll ascertain from the title of this blog, my all time favourite movie) both invented, and simultaneously killed a genre. Everyone wanted to make a shark movie after Jaws, but there was… Continue reading
This ‘based on a true story’ tale of a dramatic coast guard rescue in 1952 off Cape Cod is a Disney production. If you didn’t know that, you’d soon discern it . There are heroic men, plucky women, brooding old timers – at times you expect a helpful dog to… Continue reading
The law of sequels states they will always be inferior to the original, and as films such as Scream 2 and 22 Jump St have spelled out for us, they need to be bigger, but with exactly the same plot. 10 Cloverfield Lane ignores all of these demands. In making… Continue reading
There is much to admire in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s tale of 1820s fur trappers and survival. Not least is the authenticity of the experience. It feels so cold they should hand out blankets as you enter. And the portrayal of native americans and the conditions of the early traders is… Continue reading
There is an odd surface quality to Ron Howard’s recounting of the tale of the whaleship Essex, which famously inspired Moby Dick. It is a fantastical tale in itself, but Howard directly adds in the Moby Dick literary weight in the mix, by having the tale retold to Melville. Moby… Continue reading
