Misfit birds have to channel their anger to rescue the eggs stolen from their village by piratical pigs. Unexpectedly superior animated comedy packing in buckets of slapstick, porky puns, and a little pathos into an engaging 90 minutes of game-based fun. A sequel followed.
Month: February 2017
Coherence (2014, Dir. James Ward Byrkit)
Clever and impeccably woven drama where a dinner party takes a bizarre twist when a comet passes by. Wonderfully played; every single plot point requires scrutiny and thought. A real gem and a brain twister 😀
Fury (2014, dir. David Ayer)
At the end of WW2, a raw recruit is posted to an experienced tank crew as the allies push into the heart of Germany. Brutal and unflinching, this is held together by one of Pitt’s best performances, underscored by some standout photography. Watch it. 🙂
The Raid (2012, dir. Gareth Evans)
Small scale, Indonesian hyper carnage at the hands of Welshman, Gareth Evans. More winces per square inch than any US action film in recent memory as lone cop battles his way through floor after floor of increasing madness. A must see. 😮
Hacksaw Ridge (2016, dir. Mel Gibson)
Immaculately produced biopic of conscientious objector Desmond T. Doss who saved 75 people during WW2. An incredible tale that falters as a film as you never really connect with any of the one dimensional characters. Earnest, yes, but disappointing. 😐
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore (2017, Dir. Macon Blair)
Engaging and well acted black comedy drama, where a house burglary leads the victims down a Coen Bros style path of troubles! Sundance winner, it’s definitely worth your time 😀
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014, dir. Matt Reeves)
Ten years after the events of Rise, apes and humans come into contact with each other. Superior monkey military parable fun, with hawks and doves in human and ape camps alike, arguing for armageddon and peace respectively. Inevitably, though, war erupts.
Hidden Figures (2016, dir. Theodore Melfi)
Early 60s. During segregation and the Cold War, black female mathematicians work behind the scenes at NASA. Hidden Figures is a great crowd-pleaser, deftly telling a civil rights history, a romance, and a race into space story. Highly recommended.
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017, dir. Chad Stahelski)
The eponymous retired hitman is compelled to honour a debt. Less fresh than the 2014 original, but Chapter 2 gains confidence as it proceeds, expanding the series’ world and throwing in a few inventive action set-pieces. Laurence Fishburne cameos hammily.
Patriots Day (2017, dir. Peter Berg)
Boston cops track the 2013 marathon bombers. Awkwardly-structured, and mechanically sentimental, but an undeniably effective fictionalised reconstruction. Heartfelt, and with a genuinely mesmerising interrogation scene, the film asks some good questions.
255 Review 