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Showing posts from March, 2022

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

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UK Release Date : 5 January 2001 Certification: 12 Director: Ang Lee Cast: Chang Chen, Pei-Pei Cheng, Xian Gao, Sihung Lung, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Y un-Fat, Ziyi Zhang Rating: 82% A stunning martial arts movie. Review: Ang Lee is a terrific director. He's not perfect but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  and Life of Pi are sensational movies. And with  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon he makes a gorgeous film unlike anything I've ever seen before.  I, of course, binged and loved the cultural phenomenon that was  Squid Game  but  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon  is my first real foray into foreign language cinema and it was an eye-opening experience. I loved the culture the film exposed me to and it has opened the door to a whole new world of cinema for me and that's exciting.  Every single bit of praise Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon receives belongs to Wo Ping Yuen. His filmography includes  The Matrix and Kill Bill which are both lauded for their action choreography. But

The Matrix Resurrections

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UK Release Date: 22 December 2021 Certification: 15 Director: Lana Wachowski Cast: Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Carrie Ann-Moss, Keanu Reeves, Jada Pinkett Smith Rating:   51% Mr Anderson.  Review: The Matrix trilogy ended horribly with an awful rendition in the form of  The Matrix Revolutions and there was absolutely no need to make this fourth outing in the first place.  My initial reaction to The Matrix Resurrections was that it isn't a particularly good movie but there's more scenes that I enjoyed throughout the runtime than scenes I didn't like. And I believe that's exactly how the movie can be summed up. First of all, it is an absolute joy to see Carrie Ann-Moss and Keanu Reeves again on the big screen as Trinity and Neo respectively. I absolutely love Keanu Reeves and when sat in the cinema I was smiling as it's brilliant to see him back. On the other hand, Jonathan Groff and Yahya Abd

The Batman

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UK Release Date: 04 March 2022 Certification: 15 Director: Matt Reeves Cast: Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Zoë Kravitz, Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, John Turturro, Jeffrey Wright Rating: 97% "If you are justice please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?" Review: Batman is my favourite comic book hero of all time so it's safe to say I was absolutely buzzing to be watching Matt Reeves' The Batman on opening weekend. It's hard not to compare The Batman to The Dark Knight - the best comic book movie of all time -    but the film creates its own unique, bleak story that is more like a Seven rather than a superhero movie.  Matt Reeves does an excellent job taking the character back to his roots whilst crafting an artistic film. Batman's original comic book run describes him as 'the world's greatest detective' and we've yet to see that on the big screen but The Batman delivers on that promise. It's nice to see Batman be the sm

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

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UK Release Date: 07 February 2020 Certification: 15 Director: Cathy Yan Cast: Ellie Jay Basco, Ewan McGregor, Chris Messina, Rosie Perez, Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett, Mary Elizabeth Winstead Rating: 66 % A movie that's whole purpose is to put a smile on your face.  Review:  DCEU's Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is a fun, colourful action movie with some superb performances. Margot Robbie is irreplaceable as Harley Quinn. She plays every side of the character so well from her psychotic tendencies to the drastic range of her emotions. Margot Robbie is also incredibly charismatic in the role and does the majority of the stunts by herself. Ewan McGregor is one of my favourite actors and he really gets a chance to shine as the mad man villain, Black Mask showing his incredible acting range. The supporting cast are all nice additions especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead who fits the role of Huntress terrifically. Making me laugh whilst being s

Insomnia

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UK Release Date: 30 August 2002 Certification: 15 Director: Christopher Nolan Cast: Martin Donovan, Paul Dooley, Larry Holden, Nicky Katt, Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Robin Williams Rating: 71% Nolan's weakest film is still thoroughly enjoyable.  Review:  Christopher Nolan is my favourite director of all time - whether it's an ambitious comic book movie or a mind bending sci-fi, he always delivers - but I haven't seen some of his films before ( Following , Memento and of course Insomnia ). I can feel the features that made Nolan great but I feel the best way to sum up Insomnia is that it's a good movie that doesn't hold up to the rest of Nolan's filmography. Al Pacino plays sleep deprived detective, Will Dormer. He's of course a legendary actor and he delivers a brilliant portrayal. Once you notice that insomnia is really affecting his character, his performance really amps up.  However, I wish that Nolan would've explored in depth how i