Review: Ghost Rider – Spirit of Vengeance

The sequel to the forgettable Marvel comic adaptation provides more juvenile absence of thought, albeit some funky set pieces. Following on from the 2007 original Nicolas Cage plays Johnny Blaze, an ex-stunt bike rider who is cursed with the spirit of a demon many know as The Rider. Now he is wanting rid of the…

Review: Oblivion

Having made his directorial debut with Tron: Legacy, Joseph Kosinski’s own original creation hits the big screen and proves to be more about atmosphere than action. Set in a future were aliens known as Scavengers (Scavs) have destroyed the Moon and as a result put Earth through apocalyptic destruction, forcing the human race to relocate. Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, a…

Review: Battleship

Battleship? More like a Sub… …with ham and cheese! Am I right? Following the success of the Transformers film franchise, Hasbro runs its finger down the index of toy licenses they own and inexplicably land on the Battleship board game. The film follows a young man drafted into the Navy in a bid to get…

Review: XXX2 – State of the Union

I had the unfortunate situation of watching one of my favourite television channels all day only for them to put this on. Good god. So I can vaguely remember seeing Vin Diesel’s XXX in the cinema, and what I recall was a brazen attempt at a bigger, bolder, American version of James Bond (it even…

Review: Modern Times

Incredible how a film made in 1936 can have so much social and economical subtext in “modern times”! Charlie Chaplin plays a gormless but talented man working a repetitive job in a factory, only for a nervous breakdown to cause him losing his position, only to wind up in jail over a misunderstanding! But before…

Review: The Wizard of Oz

Having seen Oz the Great and Powerful I was inspired to go back and re-watch the two other films based off L. Frank Baum’s books, the famous 1939 MGM classic and the underrated Disney sequel from the 1980s! The Wizard of Oz (1939) An eternally timeless classic, forever referenced and loved. Personally, I have some…

Review: Quiz Show

The first film I’ve seen that was directed by Robert Redford, Quiz Show is rightfully regarded as one of his best. Based off a true story, the film follows the ethical minefield of a quiz show at the advent of television that encouraged its contestants to cheat by giving them the answers ahead of time….

Review: Lincoln

Steven Spielberg is probably the only man who could take a subject matter as dry as politics and as well known as Lincoln’s victory over the 13th amendment and make it worth watching for over one-hundred and fifty minutes. Daniel Day Lewis gives a powerhouse performance as the United States sixteenth President as he deals…

Review: Django Unchained

After seeing Django Unchained it is a wonder why it took Quintin Tarantino so long to make a Western! Set in 1858, “two years before the Civil War” we follow the slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) when he is freed by a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) who needs him in identifying some of his…

Review: White Heat

James Cagney stars in what could be one of his most prominent roles from 1949, and having not seen any of his other films, I can believe it! (I know, some of you might be shaking your heads at the fact I’ve not seen many older films… I do try!) Cagney plays a criminal named…