UK Cinema Release Round-up : 22nd June

As always my weekly cinema guide is up now on Hey U Guys. Have yourself a read and see if anything takes your fancy!

Hey U Guys : Cinema Guide

Movie Reviews : Ghost Rider - Spirit of Vengeance

I recently reviewed this really quite shoddy Nic Cage offering which sees him return once again to the role of Johnny Blaze in another painfully underwhelming Ghost Rider movie:

Nic Cage returns as the former stunt biker turned fiery demon Johnny Blaze, a superhero on a motorcycle that did a deal with the devil and now turns into a flaming-skulled vigilante and collects souls for the evil one.
The 2007 original Ghost Rider was received moderately well by fans but was panned by critics and nobody was exactly calling out for a follow up. Cage himself is a well-known comic book aficionado and bringing Ghost Rider to the screen was something he had long been interested in doing. He and many others were disappointed with how the original movie turned out and this outing was seen as something of a reboot rather than a direct sequel, a chance to correct what went wrong in the first instance and give Ghost Rider on the big screen another bash. With Crank directors Neveldine/Taylor at the helm, could they inject some fresh life into the flaming one? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding no.

You can read the full review here:
Hey U Guys : Ghost Rider - Spirit of Vengeance

Movie Reviews : Cosmopolis

I recently reviewed the new David Cronenberg movie Cosmopolis for the good people at Starburst magazine.

David Cronenberg’s latest offering is a strange cinematic beast, even by his considerable standards. It’s a slow and often eerily calm movie which comprises of what amounts to a series of vignettes with people talking and debating intellectual and philosophical matters. In parts it can be very testing and it’s difficult to describe the movie as being entertaining as such, yet somehow, the legendary body-horror director has created a film which still makes a profound impact.

You can read the full review here:
 Starburst Magazine : Cosmopolis

The Critical List : Steven Spielberg

There's another critical list of mine up on Eat Sleep Live Film, this time looking at the work of one Steven Spielberg:

With one of his most revered movies getting a timely re-release in cinemas last week, I thought it was high time we took a look at the best work of one of Hollywood’s all-time greatest directors, Steven Spielberg. In the mid-70s he practically invented the blockbuster summer picture with Jaws, in the 80s he delivered landmark adventure movies along with a timeless childhood classic and throughout the 90s and 00s he released a steady stream of box office hits covering an impressive range of subject matter. Spielberg has successfully turned his hand to hard-hitting war films, futuristic Sci-Fi thrillers and light-hearted caper-comedies.

You can read the full article here:
 Eat Sleep Live Film : Critical List - Spielberg

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 15th June

My weekly cinema guide is again up for your perusal on Hey U Guys. Go and have yourself a read and see what tickles your cinematic fancy.

Hey U Guys Cinema Guide

UK Cinema Release Round up : 8th June

My latest cinema guide is up now on Hey U Guys. This week including Red Tails, Ill Manors, A Fantastic Fear of Everything and Casa De Mi Padre amongst others. Go have yourself a read.

Hey U Guys : Cinema Guide

Movie Reviews : Passport to Pimlico

My review of the Ealing classic Passport to Pimlico is up now on Hey U Guys:

A typically quaint and light-hearted comedy from the masterly Ealing Studios, Passport to Pimlico has endured as one of their best loved capers. 

The film is set in post-war London in 1949, an era of British history that arguably tends to be ignored slightly by the movies. Obviously the great triumphs and struggles of the war years are well known to modern day audiences, as of course are the swinging sixties a fair few years later. 1949 however is a relatively uncommon time period to set a film in. Life was still tough for your regular Brit as while the spectre of war may have dissipated there were still plenty of everyday reminders of its impact on the general public. Rationing was still in place, goods were in short supply and bombed out buildings still stood along the city streets. In Passport To Pimlico, scriptwriter T.E.D. Clarke and director Henry Cornelius wonderfully capture this bygone era with a story that packs a clear political subtext and looks at what it truly means to be British.


You can read the full review here:
Hey U Guys : Passport to Pimlico

Movie Reviews : Goon

I recently reviewed the surprisingly good Goon, which is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray, for the folks at Hey U Guys:


Truth be told, I don’t have a whole lot of knowledge of Ice Hockey and its various rules and regulations, but if Goon is anything to by it would appear to be even more of a rough and tumble affair that I first though. Obviously I always knew it was a physical game, but in Michael Dowse’s sports comedy Goon, it gets taken to a whole new level.

You can read the full review here:

Hey U Guys : Goon

UK Cinema Release Round-up : 1st June

My latest cinema guide is up now on Hey U Guys. This week including Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman and LOL amongst others:

Hey U Guys : Cinema Release Round-Up

Movie Reviews : Snow White and the Huntsman

I recently reviewed Snow White and the Huntsman for East Sleep Live Film:

The year’s second dalliance with the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is a thoroughly more sombre affair than the light-hearted japery of Mirror Mirror. Director Rupert Sanders is a newcomer to feature films, having plied his trade previously in the world of advertising, and while that experience stands him in good stead in terms of the movie's impressive visual style, it’s ultimately a rather flat fantasy adventure.


You can read the full review here:
Eat Sleep Live Film : Snow White and the Huntsman