Mac's Movies

UK Release Date: 14 January 2005 Certification: 12A Director:  Clint Eastwood Cast: Jay Baruchel, Mike Colter, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, Michael Peña, Hilary Swank Rating: 88% A dramatic, unconventional sports movie. Review: This is my second watch of Million Dollar Baby and that really benefited my viewing experience because I first viewed the film as a sports movie but it's much more than that. Instead of telling the typical underdog tale seen in Rocky , Clint Eastwood focuses on the phenomenal performances and the gut-wrenching story, that is at points tough to watch.  M illion Dollar Baby is a character study and so the acting had to be great to entertain the audience, and each of the three main cast took their performances to another level. Hilary Swank perfectly encapsulates the 'You can do whatever you put your mind to' mindset embodied by Maggie Fitzgerald. She's dogged, determined and most importantly likeable.  Swank, of course, won ...

UK Release Date: 28 August 2009 Certification: 15 Director: Kathryn Bigelow Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lily, Anthony Mackie, David Morse, Guy Pearce, Jeremy Renner Rating: 84% 'You don't have to be a hero to do this job. But it helps.' Review: The Hurt Locker is a modern day war classic. It was critically acclaimed, winning a total of six Oscars including best picture and best director for Kathryn Bigelow (who at the time became the first female director to win the award). However, the movie is unquestionably about the affects of the Iraq War on US soldiers and how for some people it became an addiction.  The cast assembled for The Hurt Locker is now filled with A-list actors but at the time was cast away for not having any so called big names as leads. Never the less Jeremy Renner stands out as I believe he isn't 'acting' and is instead just enjoying the role - yet he can still show a caring, emotional side to Staff Sergeant William ...

UK Release Date:   29 April 2016 Certification:   12A Director:  Anthony and Joe Russo Cast:  Paul Bettany, Chadwick Boseman, Daniel Brühl, Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, Tom Holland, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan Rating: 86 % United we stand. Divided we fall. Review: Based on one of the greatest comic book's of all time, Captain America: Civil War is the finale to my favourite trilogy. The Russo's do a great job at merging characters from solo ventures.  Of course the parallels are there between the DCEU's  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which I enjoy a lot more than most)  and  Captain America: Civil War  but the latter did a great job at creating a story that would shape their universe for years to come.  A lot of reviews at the time of the movie's release stated the movie was pretentious and simply an unofficial 'Avengers 2.5.' Howe...

UK Release Date: 26 March 2014 Certification: 12A Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast: Chris Evans, Frank Grillo, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan Rating: 97% "On your left" Review: The  perfect action movie. The Russo's introduction to the MCU is their finest and also the series' best. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the perfect example of how to do a sequel right - It has so many iconic action scenes and lines whilst applying it's trade in the spy genre and introduces many fan favourites for the first time.  Captain America's last appearance in Avengers Assemble was heavily criticised by fans because they felt he was too goofy compared to his comic counterpart. However, the Russo Brothers do a great job at making Steve Rogers grounded, grittier and sufficiently more serious superhero that is fit to lead till the very end. This is also partly down to Chris Evans who incredibly makes...

UK Release Date:   3 February 2012 Certification:   12A Director:  Asger Leth Cast:  Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Edward Burns, Patrick Collins, Ed Harris, Anthony Mackie, Genesis Rodriguez, Titus Welliver, Sam Worthington Rating: 38% You can only push an innocent man so far. Review: I felt the acting was quite a bit iffy in Man on a Ledge . Sam Worthington, most notably known for his role in Avatar , isn't particularly convincing in his role and in my opinion was very poor as he isn't even able to maintain an American accent. Elizabeth Banks is relegated to quite frankly a character that purely dumps exposition which is more a poor use of her talent rather than bad acting. Mike Ackerman, played by Anthony Mackie, in my opinion is more of a glorified cameo than anything else and there wasn't much depth to his character arc - if he even had one at all. On the other hand, Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez were quite good in my opinion. The charisma between their charact...