Roth continues to remake films badly. This remake of a crap 1974 original sees cardboard Bruce Willis mumbling through a film lacking in any conviction. Occasional gore is mostly lost in one predicable shoot out after another. Piss poor at best!
Month: May 2018
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017, dir. Luc Besson)
Two elite agents work to uncover a dark secret at the heart of a gigantic space station. Clunkily-scripted and unevenly-acted but undeniably spectacular and well-designed SF fantasy; a $200m auteur piece, for good or ill, and all the better for its distinctiveness.
Another view? Here’s Lemonsquirtle’s thoughts.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017, dir. Denis Villeneuve)
A replicant assassin uncovers a decades-old conspiracy. A worthy follow-up to the Ridley Scott classic; 2049 is deliberately-paced, but stunning in places and gorgeous to look at throughout. Recommended.
Fancy another 255 opinion? Here’s Xussia’s take.
The Emoji Movie (2017, dir. Tony Leondis)
An accident-prone emoji escapes into the wider world of the smartphone to find a hacker to cure him. Awkward attempt to cash in on a craze of sorts; this movie rips off Toy Story and Inside Out amongst others. Some funny lines, but this is mostly desperate stuff.
The Relic (1996, dir. Peter Hyams)
An ancient creature is let loose in a Chicago museum. Fun SF/horror monster movie with its tongue in its cheek, supported by good casting and by director Hyams’ great cinematography. No classic, but a good job well done.
Green Zone (2010, dir. Paul Greengrass)
An idealistic soldier discovers the truth about WMDs in 2003 Iraq. Sleek action-led thriller which dramatises a key event in recent world history. Simplistic in its approach but undeniably thrilling, with several great sequences.
Camera Obscura (2017, dir. Aaron B Koontz)
A Gulf War veteran with PSTD returns to photography, but soon starts to doubt reality. Arty horror, initially with something interesting to say about PTSD, but which soon gets lost in reality/illusion and in awkward, overly-complex and slow storytelling.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016, dir. André Øvredal)
A father and son pair of coroners investigate a mysterious body found at a crime scene. The third act doesn’t quite deliver on the promise of the first two, but for the most part this is a terrific claustrophobic two-hander balancing gore and intrigue throughout.
Want another review? Here’s Lemonsquirtle’s tuppence-worth.
Cargo (2018, dir. Yolanda Ramke & Ben Howling)
A race against time to get a baby to safety following her father’s zombie virus infection. Quirky z-movie, both effective in places and slightly undone by its episodic nature. Good performances and a keen sense of place anchor the drama.
Geostorm (2017, dir. Dean Devlin)
Weather control satellites are interfered with to cause global destruction as part of a conspiracy. Longtime Roland Emmerich cohort Dean Devlin pastiches the RE formula, but hasn’t the same panache; this is a lumpy blockbuster that makes little sense.
Another perspective required? Here’s Xussia’s take.
255 Review 