Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
As a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I consider Black Panther a triumph, one of the best origin stories the film series has produced, packed with engaging and enjoyable characters, and boasting a story that deftly balances comic-book action and political machinations to create something wholly unique in the MCU.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
Oh, it was so close. SO CLOSE.
Hypothetically, if Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – hereafter referred to as Three Billboards because f*** typing out the full title every time – hypothetically, if it had ended five minutes earlier, I’d be giving it a straight ten out of ten, telling you that this is the perfect film, and petitioning you that it should win all of the trophies at the forthcoming Academy Awards. All. Of. The. Trophies.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: The Shape Of Water is every bit as good as you’ve heard.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, The Shape Of Water follows Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaner at a government facility who meets “The Asset” – an amphibian humanoid (part man, part fish) that the government is studying. Elisa begins to spend time with The Asset, leading the security head Strickland (Michael Shannon) to grow suspicious of her motives.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
There are any number of angles you could use as an entry point in to discussing The Cloverfield Paradox, the third film in the Cloverfield universe (a term used loosely, the way someone might describe a handful of mismatched dining chairs as a “suite”) that was released on Monday a mere two hours after the premiere of its first trailer during the Superbowl.
The rain. Oh, lord, the rain.
We arrived at Mt Smart Stadium around 6.15pm and quickly joined the crowd lined up at Gate S, a small gate giving access to the South Stand, an uncovered, seating-only area at the opposite end of the stadium from the large stage set up to house the Foo Fighters and opening act Weezer.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
It is extremely rare to be surprised by a film. The way movies are written – especially those coming out of the Hollywood system – demands foreshadowing for almost every element of a story that might be considered surprising or might feel like it’s coming out of left-field. As a result, most big budget films are predictable. Look for the signs, and you can figure them out.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
It’s kind of funny: I feel a little bit like I can’t talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi – arguably the biggest film of the year, which came out late last week – without acknowledging the online backlash which has emerged against it in the last few days. And the reason I feel I need to acknowledge it is that, by contrast to that, any review I give is going to seem alarmingly positive and contrarian.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I’m a fan of superheroes. I read Marvel and DC comic books by the truckload, religiously follow every superhero show on television and streaming, and have watched every superhero film released since 2008’s Iron Man at least twice. Seriously. I just rewatched every Marvel Cinematic Universe film ahead of Thor: Ragnarok.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
Among the many, many, MANY criticisms of Ghostbusters 2 – the 1989 sequel to the legendary supernatural comedy – maybe the most damning is that it had no teeth. Consider the hallmarks of the original: the sequel lacks the biting comedic (and somewhat satirical) tone, and trades in the spooky Zuul and the ominous Stay Puft Marshmallow Man for a kinda-creepy painting and some animated goo powered by the collective negativity of the city.
Fair warning: considerable spoilers follow – read after watching.
Like most fans (I guess) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would be fair to say that Thor’s solo movies were – until now – my least favourite of the various MCU solo movies, mired by dull plotting, a bland main character, and fairly uninspired action sequences that didn’t really offer anything too new in terms of visuals.
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