Mac's Movies

UK Release Date:  19 January 2024 Certification:  15 Director:  Alexander Payne Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa Rating:   81% Review: Alexander Payne's, The Holdovers is a refreshing piece of cinema. The phrase 'they don't make films like this anymore' is often thrown around but it has never felt more warranted. A clear homage to film of the 70s whilst also tapping into John Hughes' filmography of teenage self-discovery that came merely a decade later.  The Holdovers is fairly grounded plot wise. A teacher at a New England boarding school is tasked with caring for the children who remain at the school over the holidays. Although, what the film lacks in sprawling storytelling it more than makes up for in rich thematic ideals. Presenting the audience with three characters dealing with grief in a variety of ways and exploring the detrimental impact that lingering feeling has on their personas and perspective of life. The anger, guilt...

UK Release Date:  01 January 2024 Certification:  15 Director:  Sofia Coppola Cast:  Ari Cohen, Dagmara Domińczyk, Jacob Elordi, Lynne Griffin, Tim Post, Cailee Spaeny Rating:   77 % Review: Sofia Coppola's answer to Baz Luhrmann's  Elvis  - there's a world where both can coexist as they give a unique account of the time period. A more intimate and private exploration of character.  Priscilla is an authentic and meaningful narrative ultimately detailing the dangers of grooming for young girls around the world.  Caught up in the whirlwind of excitement and attention, Priscilla's lifestyle completely flipped on its head as she accepted an older Elvis' advances. Somewhat unaware of the position she finds herself in but in the moments of rest-bite Cailee Spaeny plays it perfectly. A feeling of isolation, loneliness and anxiety can all be found solely within her eyes. Subtly making the audience aware of the fear she felt at times.  The film ...

UK Release Date:  13 January 2017 Certification:  12A Director:  Damien Chazelle Cast:  Ryan Gosling, John Legend, J.K. Simmons, Emma Stone Rating:   96 % Review: Continuing with my new found love for Damien Chazelle, La La Land is his examination of being able to follow your passion trapped in the constraints of a charming musical. An exuberant glorification of Los Angeles compared to the cynical narrative present in Babylon . What begins as a glamorous and energetic tale of romance finishes in complete devastation - a metaphorical depiction of betrayal present in the medium of film. La La Land is a punch to the gut. By the end of the film I was left in floods of tears.  The wave of emotion is predominantly down to the excellence of Justin Hurwitz's jazz-centric score - who picked up an Academy Award for his efforts. 'Mia & Sebastian's Theme' is absurdly painful to experience. A heartbreaking piece of music that becomes increasingly delicate as diff...

UK Release Date:  20 January 2023 Certification:  18 Director:  Damien Chazelle Cast:  Jovan Adepo, Diego Calva, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Li Jun Li, Tobey Maguire, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Eric Roberts, Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde Rating:   89 % Review: Manny Torres - "I just love watching movies, you know?" Nellie LaRoy - "I love watching movies too." This is the representation I needed in film.   Babylon is Damien Chazelle's love letter to Hollywood, the era of transition between the silent film and the modern motion picture, but more importantly cinema itself. The genre of glorified depictions of Hollywood often felt pretentious to me ( Sunset Boulevard ) but both Babylon and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood have potential to be amongst my favourite films of all time upon rewatch. Chazelle handles the deconstruction of Hollywood with expert precision, essentially belittling the dream of being involved in film production - pr...

UK Release Date:  01 January 2015 Certification:  15 Director:  Alejandro González Iñárritu Cast:  Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts Rating:   47% Review: Winner of three Oscars, including best picture and best director at the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is essential viewing for any modern cinephile.  A fading actor (Riggan Thomson) struggles to be taken seriously following his retirement as superhero, Birdman, attempting to mount a comeback with a Broadway play before succumbing to his alter ago towards the end. The film acts as a metaphorical representation of Michael Keaton's career after he portrayed the caped crusader in 1989's Batman and returned this year in The Flash .  First of all, the camera work is exquisite. Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography is extraordinary. He is given numerous instances to simply show off his e...

UK Release Date:  23 February 1996 Certification:  18 Director:  Martin Scorsese Cast:   Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Kevin Pollak, Don Rickles, Sharon Stone, Frank Vincent, James Woods Rating:   75 % Review: Heralding the end of Martin Scorsese's obsession with deteriorating gangsters in a crime filled filmography spanning as far back as Mean Streets in 1973 before delving into a mix of religious epics and traditionalist biopics, Casino feels like a mesh of Scorsese's previous work. There's nothing truly original about the story, certain scenes reminiscent of Goodfellas , but Scorsese ensures that the film remains entertaining.  There is no doubt that the second and third act of Casino are a riveting watch but in fairness this film takes a while to become truly invested in. A slow introduction beckons the audience to eventually behold the downfall of these characters - making for a tremendous end with a sluggish start.  Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci c...

UK Release Date:  04 January 2002 Certification:  15 Director:  Rod Lurie Cast:  Steve Burton, Clifton Collins Jr., James Gandolfini, Delroy Lindo, Robert Redford, Mark Ruffalo, Robin Wright Rating:   50% Review:   Arguably the most distinctly average film of all time. Receiving mixed reviews initially and bombing worldwide at the box office, grossing $27 million with a budget of $72 million, The Last Castle has largely been forgotten.  Everything in this film lacks originality. It has all been seen, in some shape or form, before. A fairly formulaic prison break reminiscent of Escape from Alcatraz or The Shawshank Redemption . Events on screen are filmed to a fairly decent standard and for the most part entertaining but it is completely lacking in both inventiveness and imagination. Thoroughly devoid of any new ideas and largely predictable from start to finish. Alongside dated CGI that ruins the third act.  Released during a...

UK Release Date:  22 October 2021 Certification:  15 Director:  Wes Anderson Cast:  Mathieu Amalric, Bob Balaban, Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Willem Dafoe, Lyna Khoudri, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, Stephen Park, Kiev Schreiber, Léa Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Benicio Del Toro, Christoph Waltz, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Henry Wrinkler Rating:   55 % Review: The French Dispatch saw Wes Anderson tell an accumulation of short stories through the technical lens of a magazine detailing events taking place in the fictional town of Ennui-sur-Blasé.  Strictly, from a narrative standpoint this is the best way for Wes to convey his signature distinct style. There's an abundance of ambitious filmmaking flair on display. Constantly shifting between black and white and colour as well as aspect ratios - the film is a technical marvel. The trademark symmetry, the elaborate set-designs and the dynamic frames of vivid col...

UK Release Date:  17 May 2021 Certification:  12A Director:  Lee Isaac Chung Cast:  Noel Kate Cho, Alan Kim, Han Yeri, Steven Yeun, Youn Yuh-jung Rating:   95 %                                                                                                                                                     Review: A24 does it again. To quote the film itself, 'Minari is wonderful.' Minari is worthy of being one of the best...

UK Release Date:  21 July 2023 Certification:  15 Director:  Christopher Nolan Cast:  Casey Affleck, Michael Angarano, Dylan Arnold, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Jason Clarke, Tom Conti, Matt Damon, David Dastmalchian, Dane DeHaan, Robert Downey Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Josh Hartnett, David Krumholtz, Rami Malek, Matthew Modine, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Florence Pugh, Jack Quaid, Benny Safdie, Alex Wolff Rating:   97 % Review: With the buzz of 'Barbenheimer' in full effect, Oppenheimer released to a worldwide wave of praise,   Oppenheimer  was easily my most anticipated release of 2023.  Christopher Nolan is my favourite director and t he film is the crowning achievement of Nolan's career to date - combining the meticulous script of Memento , the performances of The Prestige and the stunning visuals of Interstellar . It is his tightest screenplay and has a plethora of personal performances yet he maintains the spectacular style...

UK Release Date:  05 December 1997 Certification:  15 Director:  James Mangold Cast:  Peter Berg, Noah Emmerich, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Robert Patrick, Michael Rapaport, Sylvester Stallone, Frank Vincent Rating:   66% Review: 1997's Cop L and is a film of its time. Back when investigations into the police force were seen on screen every few months - Internal Affairs , L.A. Confidential and Training Day . Cop Land may lack originality, but for the most part it's a solid crime film.  The cast is stacked. Full of big name, A-list actors akin to that of one of Scorsese's works. Yet, it's Sylvester Stallone that steals the show with a terrific performance. Sheriff, Freddy Heflin, hindered by being partially deaf is portrayed superbly by Stallone. Emotionless, unwavering and torn by inner turmoil. The audience is continuously  rooting for Heflin despite his unadventurous persona. Harvey Keitel and Robert Patrick are both decent enough v...

UK Release Date:  19 February 1981 Certification:  18 Director:  Martin Scorsese Cast:  Nicholas Colasanto, Mario Gallo, Cathy Moriarty, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent Rating:   87 % Review: The film that saved both Martin Scorsese's career and life. A biography of Jake LaMotta's life, one of the most famous boxers of his time - for both the right and wrong reasons -  Raging Bull  is a character study masked as a sports film. From a filmmaking standpoint this is outstanding. Some exceptional camerawork which isn't really a surprise considering it's Scorsese. The way he shoots that dolly of LaMotta whilst he's in the ring is absolutely iconic, emphasising his descent into madness and inability to deal with both jealousy and anger. That whole scene in fact is simply riveting cinema.  The decision to have the film play out in black and white benefitted the viewing experience for me. Distinguishing Raging Bull from other works of the t...

UK Release Date:  14 February 2020 Certification:  15 Director:  Céline Sciamma Cast:  Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino, Adèle Haenel, Noémie Merlant Rating:   95 %                                                                                                                                                                                         Review:   What a beautiful film. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is mesmerising...

UK Release Date:  23 September 2011 Certification:  12A Director:  Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Cast:  Kevin Bacon, Jonah Bobo, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Joey King, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Lio Tipton, Marisa Tomei Rating:   72 %                                                                                                                                                     Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love. is a delightful ...

UK Release Date:  11 June 2021 Certification:  12A Director:  Florian Zeller  Cast:  Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Anthony Hopkins, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell, Olivia Williams  Rating:   95 %                                                                                                                                                                                         Review:   What The Father does incre...

UK Release Date:  18 November 2022 Certification:  12A Director:  Charlotte Wells Cast:  Frankie Corio, Paul Mescal Rating:   100 %                                                                                                                                                     Review: Easily the best film to come out last year and on only my second watch,  Aftersun  is firmly within my top ten favourites of all...

UK Release Date:  24 April 1987 Certification:  15 Director:  Oliver Stone Cast:  Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Keith David, Johnny Depp, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Francesco Quinn, Charlie Sheen, Forest Whitaker Rating:   91 % Review: A true war epic.  Powerful and profound. Visceral and grainy. Platoon is an incredibly immersive and sincere experience. The audience can't hear certain lines of dialogue, can't distinguish characters from one another and it's extremely difficult to know what is going on 100% of the time. The film feels real. You feel involved with the story, consumed by the horrors of war.  Charlie Sheen is convincing as the film's main protagonist. Arriving both into the film and the war as a young recruit, the audience grows and learns alongside Chris - naive to begin with but destroyed by the anguish the Vietnam War caused. In many ways, Chris is the audience. A bystander simply watching the events pass him by.  Despite...