Mac's Movies

UK Release Date:  21 July 2023 Certification:  12A Director:  Greta Gerwig Cast:  Kingsley Ben-Adir, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Greenblatt, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, Kate McKinnon, Helen Mirren, Issa Rae, Margot Robbie, Alexandra Shipp Rating:   55 % Review: Admittedly, I'm not the target audience - I am a teenage male that can't relate to the problems of a woman in modern society - and women have gotten a lot out of the film, specifically mothers, which is great but Barbie just felt like a strange amalgamation of social commentary and product placement. When tasked with making a film on the issues of toxic masculinity and the empowerment of feminism, whether intentional or not, it is baffling that a man completely stole the show. Before the film had even been released the public were rallying for Ryan Gosling to receive an Oscar nomination at next year's Academy Awards, demanding a solo film featuring Ken. That is the comple...

UK Release Date:  19 May 2023 Certification:  15 Director:  Ari Aster  Cast:  Stephen McKinley Henderson, Richard Kind, Patti LuPone, Armen Nahapetian, Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Amy Ryan Rating:   41 %                                                                                                                                                                                         Review:   Joaquin Phoenix...

UK Release Date:  01 June 2022 Certification:  15 Director:  Alex Garland Cast:  Jessie Buckley, Paapa Essiedu, Rory Kinnear, Gayle Rankin Rating:   36% Review: Men was made to look like a modern horror classic when A24 revealed the first trailer for the film   last year in February. Unfortunately, the film failed to reach the heights set out by its trailer. Men takes a promising concept with an eerie build-up and totally wastes it.  A short film is defined 'as an original motion picture that has a runtime of 40 minutes or less'. Men would've worked better as a short film for me because t he first hour of this film, exceptional - a few scenes could've been cut to fit the criteria.  Incredibly anxiety inducing, u tterly terrifying to the point where it becomes a draining watch due to the constant unease.  The score heightens the tension incorporating sounds made from a character earlier on in the film into the music.  The film is beaut...

UK Release Date: 6 May 1988 Certification: PG Director: Wim Wenders Cast: Curt Bois, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander Rating: 68% "Why am I here, and why not there?" Review:  Recently, my local arthouse cinema was showing a rendition of Wim Wenders film, Wings of Desire . The German foreign feature is an exploration of the qualities of human life through the eyes of an angel, Damiel.   Bruno Ganz plays Damiel flawlessly. From the sense of longing for both a romantic relationship and the desire to become human to the delight and wonder of subtle details synonymous with living. It was a performance that exceeded all my expectations due to it's elegance and complexity. It absolutely baffles me that with such a delightful outing, Ganz would go on to play Adolf Hitler in Downfall 15 years later. Otto Sander is much more understated as Cassiel but is just as good, showing a great deal of range with limited screen time. He makes you feel real anguish w...

UK Release Date: 6 May 2022 Certification: 12A Director: Sam Raimi Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong Rating: 59% Beware - there are some strange spoilers below. Review: I think where the movie fell flat for me was the lack of direction. It's a bit of a mess. The whole plot is essentially Wanda going on a killing spree because her made up children don't exist. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness isn't a sequel to Doctor Strange and it isn't a full exploration of the multiverse either (only choosing to delve into three different universes). So what actually is it? I still don't really know. Sam Raimi wasn't a great appointment in my opinion, it really feels like one of his movies, he just chucks ideas onto the screen.  For me, each time Benedict Cumberbatch appears as Doctor Strange, his performance improves. He embodies the arrogance but also caring nature of the character. Pl...

UK Release Date: 14 March 2018 Certification: 12A Director: Roar Uthaug Cast: Walton Goggins, Kristen Scott Thomas, Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Daniel Wu Rating: 30% Yet another awful video game adaptation Review: When I was younger I used to play Tomb Raider on my dad's playstation, so although I haven't seen the movie starring Angelina Jolie, I would consider myself a Tomb Raider fan. But this movie is the definition of lacklustre.  I got ten seconds into the movie and I already wanted it to end. The whole point of Tomb Raider is that it's a simple action-adventure story similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark and immediately the movie decided to tell a story which deals with an ancient witch who can kill by touch alone. That feels so far-fetched to me and in my opinion that isn't Tomb Raider .  Alicia Vikander put in a lot of work to prepare for the role of Lara Croft. She went through moths of physical training in order to complete most of the stunt work by he...

UK Release Date: 18 November 2021 Certification: 12A Director: Jason Reitman Cast: Carrie Coon, McKenna Grace, Logan Kim, Celeste O'Connor, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard Rating: 80% "I ain't afraid of no ghost" Review:  For a point of reference, I'm not the hugest fan of Ghostbusters (1984) but after the buzz around Ghostbusters: Afterlife I was excited to see a third try at a sequel. And in all honesty I preferred this movie to the original outing.  Firstly, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is an intimate film that is treated delicately and with care. The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman - who directed Ghostbusters - and  you can tell. He cherishes his father's source material choosing to honour it in almost every turn without the fan service feeling tacked on. And of course, the movie is dedicated to the late Harold Ramis who played ghostbuster, Eg on Spengler. It's a touching tribute that is done brilliantly by never making Egon speak a li...

UK Release Date: 03 September 2021 Certification: 12A Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Cast: Awkwafina, Fala Chen, Ben Kingsley, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Simu Liu, Michelle Yeoh, Meng'er Zhang Rating:   67 % "I speak ABC" Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the MCU's take at a martial arts story inspired by movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . The movie isn't void of it's MCUisms but it's a decent o rigin story that expands the world and introduces a new likeable character.  Shang-Chi is played by Simu Liu in his breakout role. He's charismatic, caring and I'm very excited to see him as a new leading man in the MCU. But  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings focuses on the villain and   Tony Chiu-Wai Leung is brilliant playing the real Mandarin. Destin Daniel Cretton did a good job working around the racial stereotypes that are often associated with the comic book version of the character.  He sells every emotion and  wa...

UK Release Date: 15 December 2021 Certification: 12A Director: Jon Watts Cast: Jacob Batalon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Tom Holland, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya Rating:   79 % The finale to Spider-Man's first trilogy in the MCU doesn't disappoint.  Review: Similar to Avengers: Endgame , Spider-Man: No Way Home is a cinematic spectacle that is an absolute must watch. I was unfortunately unable to see the movie upon release due to having to isolate but I was lucky enough to avoid the majority of spoilers online. Similarly, there is no way that I'll be able to talk about this movie without revealing spoilers - you have been warned.  I'd always liked Tom Holland as Spider-Man due to his charisma and like-ability but I feel he really steps up in Spider-Man: No Way Home . You can physically see him maturing over the course of the MCU becoming more and more confident. He's also able to show a little more depth and his abi...

UK Release Date:   30 October 2013 Certification:  12A Director:  Alan Taylor Cast:  Kat Dennings, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard  Rating:  50 % My least favourite movie in the MCU. Review:   Thor: The Dark World is for me the most disappointing outing in the MCU. The sequel to an entertaining origin story was the first movie that I remember not liking at the cinema and it's my least favourite movie in the MCU. The biggest downfall of Thor: The Dark World is its villain, Malekeith. Played by Christopher Eccleston, Malekeith is boring, forgettable and totally two-dimensional. I've seen the movie a few times now and before every rewatch I don't remember his name - he almost makes me fall asleep.  Chris Hemsworth once again shows his comedic potential as Thor but still isn't quite there yet. The standout however, i...

UK Release Date:   27 April 2011 Certification:  12A Director:  Kenneth Branagh Cast:  Kat Dennings, Idris Elba, Clark Gregg, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Rene Russo, Stellan Skarsgard  Rating:  72% "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor" Review: When rewatching Thor , I enjoyed it much more than I remembered. Kenneth Branagh's Shakespearean style really works as we're introduced to the God of Thunder.  The movie's greatest quality is also it's biggest downfall, the setting. Asgard is absolutely beautifully shot with the grandeur of the world on full display and a swelling score to up the elegance. However, when  Thor  switches it's focus to New Mexico it loses me a little. I know that the purpose was to make Asgard seem as impressive as possible by choosing a dirty and run down location but it didn't work for me - it just made me want to switch the attent...

UK Release Date:   18 March 2021 Certification:  15 Director:  Zack Snyder Cast:  Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Gal Gadot,  Ciarán Hinds,  Jeremy Irons, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa Rating:  90 % "If you can't bring down the charging bull, then don't wave the red cape at it." Review:   First of all, I will try to keep my discussion as spoiler-free as I can but there are certain aspects that I can't talk about without spoiling a few scenes.  In 2017, due to family tragedy, Zack Snyder had to leave behind his Justice League project and Joss Whedon was hired to help finish the movie. However, in reality the studio didn't appreciate the way that Snyder wanted to go and Whedon came in and made a completely different movie that in all honesty was a car crash and utterly disrespectful to Zack Snyder. This resulted in fan petitions demanding for the Snyder Cut and eventually Warner Brothers caved and listened to the fans resulting in ...

UK Release Date: 29 March 2019 Certification: PG Director: Tim Burton Cast: Alan Arkin, Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Joseph Gatt, Eva Green, Finley Hobbins, Michael Keaton, Nico Parker Rating:  55% "When I See An Elephant Fly" Review: Dumbo is a delightful reimagining of the original all-time classic Disney movie released in 1941. Read my review of the original here . Dumbo was incredibly faithful to the original storyline and spirit. Characters like Casey Jr, Timothy Q. Mouse and Mr Stork make cameo appearances. The brilliant Danny Elfman creates amazing reworkings of the original songs such as 'Train's a Comin' and 'Baby Mine'. The screenwriters even manage to fit in the lyrics of 'When I See An Elephant Fly' to announce Dumbo's debut at Dreamland. Tim Burton, who is one of my favourite directors, did an absolutely amazing job in creating a new storyline for Dumbo , with not much to base his story on, as the original Dumbo ...

UK Release Date: 17 December 2009 Certification: 12A Director: James Cameron Cast: Stephan Lang, Joel David Moore, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington Rating: 85% I speak for the trees. Review: Avatar , for me, is the best sci-fi movie that I have seen since I first watched the original Star Wars trilogy.  The lead performances from Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are excellent in Avatar . Sam Worthington plays a disabled ex-marine, Jake Sully, who takes the place of his brother on an exhibition to Pandora after his brother is shot and killed. Jake's role on the exhibition is to pilot a human-Na'vi hybrid, an avatar. Usually the Na'vi kill avatars but Neytiri (Zoe Saldana's character) is shown a sign from their deity, Eywa when she first encounters Jake's avatar. T he leader of the Na'vi decides that Jake should be trained in the ways of the Na'vi. Jake learns the ways of the Na'vi and is embraced as one of...