A professional thief becomes involved in a Russian conspiracy involving cold fusion technology. Below-par star-vehicle thriller some distance from the source material. Good location work and solid support can’t prevent this being a waste of talent.
Month: June 2017
Okja (2017, dir. Joon-ho Bong)
A South Korean girl fights to keep her pet super-pig from the hands of a multinational corporation. Utterly enthralling ET/Pete’s Dragon variant for adults, drawing on Gilliam, Jeunet et Caro, early Besson, Buster Keaton and Studio Ghibli, yet is an original too.
Free Fire (2016, dir. Ben Wheatley)
Excellent crime caper that is essentially a 60 minute plus gun fight in a warehouse. Copley steals the show and Wheatley confidently wrings the most out of the single location. This is at times absurd, amusing and genuinely entertaining. 😀
Raw (2016 Dir. Julia Ducournau)
A vegetarian turns cannibal after a weird college ritual in this boring attempt at being super shocking. Bloody? yes. Bloody crappy rubbish.
Evolution (2001, dir. Ivan Reitman)
A pair of misfit science teachers find an Arizona meteor strike hiding an alien invasion. OK SF comedy modelled on Reitman’s earlier Ghostbusters, down to a gunge/giant monster/Dan Ackroyd finale. Julianne Moore on sprightly pratfall form.
Tron (1982, dir. Steven Lisberger)
Endearing but nonsensical stranger in a strange land tale. Whilst the plot evaporates as soon as you look at it, the evocative visuals and, for the time, excellent special FX still manage to hold your attention. Ignore the script and you’ll be fine.
Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017, Dir. Mark Cullen)
Meanderring tale with a borrowed plot. An aged Willis stumbles around Venice Beach in a pastiche of himself. Billed as a comedy, with the only laughs coming from how shoddy this films looks now. Might have been a hit in 1994. Dull and tiresome. 😦
Red Planet (2000, dir. Antony Hoffman)
The first manned mission to Mars goes awry. Straightforward SF disaster/bodycount movie with the usual nods (astronaut called Bowman etc), though more contrivances than usual. Seriously, guys, don’t take a robot with its “military” mode enabled.
The Witch (2015, dir. Robert Eggers)
A puritanical family has to endure a nightmare when a witch steals their youngest child and casts a spell on their remaining children. Austere and evocative, with a predatory camera that imparts a terrifying atmospheric on this exquisite folk tale.
Kong: Skull Island (2017, dir. Jordan Vogt-Roberts)
A scientific expedition travels to a newly discovered Pacific island to perform geological tests, and King Kong is very unhappy to see them. With an unsubtle and wobbly man-is-the-enemy narrative, this is nonetheless fabulous entertainment. Go watch!
255 Review 