The Emperor had his box in the Colosseum to watch the gladiators fight; he saw the same spectacle as everyone else, but he wasn’t down there with the plebs. Tickets with the masses weren’t appealing, […]
Madam Secretary beats out The Bachelor
Last night I sat through the finale of ‘The Bachelor,’ a show which neither through casual, serious, nor ironic viewing can surpass the flawed premise that over a dozen attractive, successful women could be so utterly […]
‘Gotham’ – Because we couldn’t wait for Ben Affleck
Ryan from the ‘O.C.’ grew up and moved to Gotham. He’s not popular, he’s different, and he’s having trouble fitting in. James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) investigates the deaths of Bruce Wayne’s parents while navigating the Rogue’s […]
The Giver
In a black and white world where everything is neat and perfect and there are no wars or bickering (it’s on an island in the sky to really drive the point home) Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) lives […]
TMNT – New York Gets Trashed… Again
I have a confession. Don’t judge me. In a childhood preoccupied with Captain Planet and Bananaman, I NEVER watched TMNT. I haven’t seen the show, or the movies, nor read the comics and I never […]
The New Doctor – Raising Eyebrows
Peter Capaldi’s eyebrows have their own stage presence. They are are a distinct and unique entity which operate independently from the rest of his bodily functions. At least so much was made clear by the new […]
Everything wrong with ‘Lucy’
There be spoilers ahead. In Luc Besson’s ‘Lucy,’ an unwilling drug mule (Scarlett Johansson) absorbs a stash into her nervous system, unlocks the unknown recesses of her brain and ultimately becomes an omnipresent reality-twisting force. […]
Jersey Boys: Story and Sound
This is not a musical. Neither is Frankie Valli’s life. In 1951 MGM commissioned “Singin’ in the Rain” because Arthur Freed wanted to showcase his catalogue of songs, ordering the screenwriters to strategically work his melodies into […]
Transformers 4: A Bud Light if you please!
This post is not an ad for Bud Light. I can’t say the same for ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction.’ In this CGI-fest a Transformer powers through a large Bud Light truck strategically centered in the middle […]
22 Jump St – Meta meta could’ve done better
Ever watch 21 Jump St, classic 90’s Johnny Depp star-vehicle? Maybe you saw the first movie when it came out in 2012? Well Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are back, with the exact same schtick, […]
Winners and Losers: Gary Oldman
One of the film industry’s most versatile actors went on a massive rant this week in Playboy’s latest offering. Gary Oldman (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) stated, among other things, that “at the Oscars […]
Edge of Tomorrow: The Return of War as Action?
With war, Hollywood has always trodden carefully, or so it had seemed to be the case. Prior to the war in Vietnam, films depicting armed conflict (usually the First or Second World War) were mostly […]
The Expendables 3 – Can I bring my friends please?
Ever go away with your best mates, the ones you’ve known forever, spend way too much money and have the absolute time of your life? I have; and so has Sly Stallone, only he got […]
Wish I Was Here: Zach Braff’s Garden Nation
Remember Garden State? The emotive, tightly-scripted feature debut by Zach Braff? He’s not a one-trick pony, but he’s ridden the same horse into town. ‘Wish I Was Here’ is the story of Aidan Bloom (Braff) getting […]
Snowpiercer: What do you achieve at the end of time?
Chris Evans is finished. The young, handsome, highly prolific Captain America has announced that he will not pursue acting beyond his Marvel Contract and the Avengers sequels. So what does an actor with every door […]
Stage Fright: A,B,C or all of the above
I told some friends that there was a comedy-horror-musical mash-up at the Sydney Film Festival and was politely relegated to seeing this one on my own. ‘Stage Fright’ is an acquired taste, a film one could […]
Jack Bauer v Wiki-Leaks – The Return of ’24’
Jack’s back, and he’s taking on Julian Assange. After 8 seasons and a four year hiatus the first two episodes of ’24: Live Another Day’ have caught up with current affairs nicely. Jack traces former […]
The Raid 2: Berandal
The Raid is a superbly constructed action film. An Indonesian cop/martial arts master/family man is tasked with raiding a castle-like fortress occupied by criminals waiting to be rewarded for gruesomely killing our hero. On the […]
