Mac's Movies

UK Release Date:  15 March 2002 Certification:  15 Director:  Wes Anderson Cast:  Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson Rating:   65 % Review: The Royal Tenenbaums is Wes Anderson's third feature film and a charming addition to his filmography. Placing a broken family dynamic within a comedy allows Anderson and the cast to have a lot of fun within the film.  As is to be expected with a Wes Anderson film, the cast is packed full of world class actors and actresses. For me, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are the two standouts with impeccable comedic timing. Stiller's dead pan, brooding delivery is excellent - providing a self-aware commentary on the events seen in the film. Furthermore, any line of dialogue spoken by Eli Cash (Owen Wilson) left me in bits. The scene involving him doing a TV interview whilst high is quite possibly the most I've ever laughed in a cinema.  The trademar...

UK Release Date:  06 March 1987 Certification:  15 Director:  Martin Scorsese Cast:  Bill Cobbs, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Paul Newman, Helen Shaver, John Turturro, Forest Whitaker Rating:   78 % Review:   Legacy sequel to Paul Newman classic,  The Hustler , The Color of Money continues to follow 'Fast Eddie' whilst adding Tom Cruise in front of the screen and Martin Scorsese behind the camera.  With Paul Newman being the only returning cast member, it's solely down to him to continue on the continuity from The Hustler . He's fantastic yet again - there's a reason he's held in such high regard. His performance in this film was his first and only Oscar win. Newman plays the mentor role to a tee and then is able to switch back into flamboyant, charismatic hustler on cue. He shares the screen with a young and immature, Tom Cruise. Before he become a real life action star, these were the type of roles Cruise was born to play....

UK Release Date:  26 October 1961 Certification:  15 Director:  Robert Rossen Cast:  Jackie Gleason, Murray Hamilton, Piper Laurie, Myron McCormick, Paul Newman, George C. Scott Rating:   83 % Review: Recently, I was able to see a double feature of The Hustler and The Color of Money on the big screen.  1961's  The Hustler , based on a novel of the same name, is one of the best sports films ever brought to life. Paul Newman is unstoppable in the lead role. It's a masterful performance as hustler, Eddie 'Fast Eddie' Felson. So much heart and emotion spills through the screen, it's truly moving - earning Newman a nomination for best actor at the 34th Academy Awards. He oozes charisma and charm throughout the runtime but is able to dip into an emotional, broken side when needed. The chemistry with Piper Laurie is brilliant to watch on screen. Their relationship isn't picturesque by any means but it's representative of the times. Jackie Gleason adds a lot...

UK Release Date:  12 August 2022 Certification:  15 Director:  Jordan Peele Cast:  Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Wrenn Schmidt, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun Rating:   85% Review: One of my favourites from last year. The film subverts all expectations in the best possible way. Nope solidifies Jordan Peele as one of the industries most sought-after filmmakers.  Taking inspiration from Steven Spielberg's filmography -  Close Encounters of the Third Kind ,  Jaws and Jurassic Park -   Jordan Peele creates an awe-inspiring experience. Peele's most ambitious film to date takes full advantage of the larger budget. The film is a spectacle to behold. A mix of horror, science-fiction and western combine to create a visually striking masterpiece that reaffirms the beauty of cinema.  Cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema, makes the night look so gorgeous but yet so unexplored. In order to attain such clarity with no natural light he had ...

UK Release Date:  27 October 2006 Certification:  18 Director:  Darren Lynn Bousman Cast:  Tobin Bell, Angus Macfadyen, Dina Meyer,  Shawnee Smith, Bahar Soomekh, Donnie Wahlberg Rating:   22 % Review: What a mess of a film. Several abandoned subplots, an incoherent story and a band of incredibly unlikeable characters. This is where I think the franchise will lose my interest.  Other than a few scenes towards the beginning of the film that were slightly unsettling, Saw III isn't scary and a huge departure in quality from the first two. Saw III relies solely on gore in an attempt to scare/shock the audience. But when the traps appear unwinnable and so much blood is shown it becomes desensitised.  Horror films often get a bad rep for having their characters making the worst possible decisions in important situations. I think that's unwarranted but it is certainly the case in Saw III . Jeff (Angus Macfadyen) is the most frustrating character in horr...

UK Release Date:  28 October 2005 Certification:  18 Director:  Darren Lynn Bousman Cast:  Tobin Bell, Franky G, Erik Knudsen, Dina Meyer, Glenn Plummer, Shawnee Smith, Donnie Wahlberg Rating:   45 % Review: The second instalment in the Saw franchise promises to be more gruesome and a lot bloodier than the first. With a larger budget, Saw II ups the stakes, the scale and improves upon the traps but forgets about the terror that made Saw great in the first place. It's by no means as good as the first but the film is still surprisingly entertaining.  Detective Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) and his arc spanning the film's runtime are both interesting to watch on screen. As the film's main protagonist, the audience is meant to root Matthews but by the end of Saw II it's not as clear-cut. His moral ambiguity reveals conflicting emotions. Donnie Wahlberg pulls off the grizzled cop looking to save his son superbly. Tobin Bell expands upon the villai...

UK Release Date:  01 October 2004 Certification:  18 Director:  James Wan Cast:  Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Michael Emerson, Danny Glover, Ken Leung, Dina Meyer, Monica Potter, Shawnee Smith, Leigh Wannell Rating:   60 % Review: Following an impressive short film of the same name debuted in 2003, Lions Gate Entertainment decided to produce the feature length film Saw . With a budget of $1 million, the film went on to gross $103 million world-wide spawning a two decade long franchise spanning nine films (with a tenth set to release this year). Often cited as the father of horror sub-genre, torture porn, the inventiveness of Saw is yet to be recaptured.  Lead performances from Cary Elwes (Dr. Gordon) and Leigh Wannell (Adam) were genuinely quite captivating. Both over-acted at times affecting the narrative being told but the juxtaposition of personalities forced to work together meant for an intriguing concept. This stark contrast between th...

UK Release Date:  17 May 2021 Certification:  15 Director:  Darius Marder Cast:  Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff Rating:   81% Review: It goes without saying that Riz Ahmed is outstanding. He rightfully received an academy award nomination for best actor for his performance as deaf drummer, Ruben Stone. Ahmed took time out to prepare for the role - spending seven months learning how to play the drums as well as learning American Sign Language (ASL). He even went as far as to wear modified hearing aids that played white noise into his ears so that he couldn't hear himself speak.   A lot of care was put into enhancing the realism of the performance. It's a powerhouse in emotion.  Sound of Metal simply wouldn't work without Riz Ahmed. The dedication put in by Riz Ahmed contributes to the  phenomenal sound design of Sound of Metal . The way Darius Marder's direction conveys noise is a masterstroke. Intercu...

UK Release Date:  14 August 2019 Certification:  18 Director:  Quentin Tarantino Cast:  Austin Butler, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Margaret Qualley, Margot Robbie Rating:   95% Review: Esteemed director, Quentin Tarantino, explores 1960's Hollywood putting his own spin on history in his ninth feature film, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood . The world created feels immersive, transporting the audience back in time, due to intricate set-designs and a vibrant, swinging soundtrack.  As the film progresses, characters become entangled with certain members of the Manson Family.  Obviously, the Manson murders are a horrific part of history. It's a huge challenge to be able to explore the Manson Family in a sensitive manner. If done incorrectly, there would have been a real danger of  Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood  becoming exploitative but I thought it was handled well. Scenes aroun...

UK Release Date:  12 April 2013 Certification:  15 Director:  Derek Cianfrance Cast:  Mahershala Ali, Rose Byrne, Emory Cohen, Bradley Cooper, Dane DeHaan, Ryan Gosling, Ray Liotta, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn Rating:   49 % Review:   The Place Beyond the Pines is a mess. The film attempts to tell three interconnecting stories during its 140 minute runtime - a crime thriller, an unravelling of police corruption and a political campaign. This could've worked if each section of the film was compelling but that isn't the case. The first hour of this film is superb in my opinion. The themes bleed through, the action is well choreographed and scenes feel impactful. Afterwards, the rest of the film is just dull, boring and a major disappointment. The characters aren't particularly interesting and I struggled to remain engaged with the plot.  Ryan Gosling is great in the supposed lead role of Luke Glanton. The struggles of his personal lif...

UK Release Date:  03 May 2023 Certification:  12A Director:  James Gunn Cast:  Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Chukwudi Iwuji, Pom Klementieff,  Will Poulter, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña Rating:   87% Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3  is a breath of fresh air within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). So much so that it has already found its way to third place in my ranking of the franchise. James Gunn delivers the perfect ending to the Guardians with his swan song.  James Gunn never fails to deliver when it comes to the soundtrack of his films - it's became somewhat of a guarantee throughout his career. He often states that he writes in music before any dialogue, giving scenes added essence.  Each needle drop is executed both realistically and wonderfully.  The film began with one of my favourite openings of all time.  The way it built into the title crawl was epic.  I think the opening is perfect and is enhan...

UK Release Date:  30 April 1997 Certification:  18 Director:  Mike Newell Cast:  Johnny Depp, Anne Heche, Bruno Kirby, Michae l Madsen, Al Pacino, James Russo Rating:   66 % Review: With Johnny Depp and Al Pacino in leading roles it's no real surprise that the  performances  standout in Donnie  Brasco . I believe this is the best acted role from Depp, bar Edward Scissorhands . Don't get me wrong he was made to play Jack Sparrow and I love how vibrantly he plays that character but he gets to show that he can act in this film. He portrays conflicting characteristics at a similar ability in the space of a few scenes. His arc is engaging, a realistic progression of his headspace at the time. The mob film is what made Al Pacino one of the greats. So whilst it's not anything revolutionary compared to the rest of his filmography, Pacino still delivers a worthy supporting performance. There's depth, displaying a slight comedic side as well as sk...