Mac's Movies

UK Release Date:  31 July 2015 Certification:  12A Director:  Christopher McQuarrie Cast: Alec Baldwin,  Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Tom Hollander, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames Rating:   76% Review: For the majority of the Mission: Impossible franchise the films continue to improve in quality, a testament to the  enthusiasm and passion from everyone involved in each entry. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is no different. It's bolder, it's increasingly demanding but yet the film somehow retains a strong sense of originality.  Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation  unexpectedly ups the ante from Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol . Tom Cruise may have dangled off the Burj Khalifa in the previous addition, a commendable feat unlike anything seen before, but that's next to nothing compared to what Cruise puts himself through in this film. He hung onto the outside of a plane during takeoff, learnt to hold his...

UK Release Date:  26 December 2011 Certification:  12A Director:  Brad Bird Cast:  Tom Cruise, Samuli Edelmann, Vladimir Mashkov, Michael Nyqvist, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Léa Seydoux Rating:   70% Review: 2011's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is when the franchise truly became the action behemoth that it is renowned for being today.  After a five year hiatus from Mission: Impossible III , many were quick to assume that Tom Cruise was too old to continue in the role.  However, this is Tom Cruise hitting his peak. The  stunt work he throws himself into is absolutely absurd. Why on earth would anyone sit down one day and think let's scale the Burj Khalifa? Filmed predominantly with the use of an overhead helicopter depicting Tom Cruise strapped to a safety harness as he ascends the tallest building in the world. It's a phenomenal showcase of Cruise's dedication to his craft. An exhilarating spectacle built to en...

UK Release Date: 24 September 2010 Certification: 15 Director: Ben Affleck Cast: Ben Affleck, Owen Burke, George Carroll, Chris Cooper, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, Jeremy Renner, Titus Welliver Rating: 66%  'Welcome to the bank robbery capital of America'.  Review: Ben Affleck is brilliant both in front and behind the camera in The Town . He grew up in Boston so of course the accent is effortless and he's simultaneously caring as well as threatening. You can tell he understands the location he's filming in, he pays attention to small details about how much of a dump Charleston really is. Whilst watching I found his direction admirable. A pre-Hawkeye Jeremy Renner is the real standout here. His performance is magnetic as he's a loose cannon, at any point during the run time he could explode. He was deservedly acknowledged for his performance as receiving an Oscar nomination. Jon Hamm also delivered a fine performance if a bit si...

UK Release Date: 10 November 2016 Certification: 12A Director:  Denis Villeneuve Cast: Amy Adams, Tzi Ma, Mark O'Brien, Jeremy Renner, Michael Stuhlbarg, Forrest Whitaker Rating:   98 % 'Why are they here?' Review: Arrival is an intriguing and fascinating sci-fi movie from Denis Villeneuve based on a short story about the arrival of alien life - starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forrest Whittaker. Upon release the movie received worldwide praise which resulted in a best picture nomination at the Oscars only losing out to Moonlight .  Firstly, this is Amy Adams' movie. She is truly terrific as linguist, Louise Banks who essentially has to create and decipher a whole new language in order to communicate with the aliens - which are known as heptapods. As the movie progresses, Louise begins to interact more and more with the heptapods and that makes both her and the story even more interesting and Amy Adams is able to display every emotion that she's fee...

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: 25 April 2019 Certification: 12A Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast: Josh Brolin, Don Cheadle, Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Brie Larson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo Rating: 90% "Whatever It Takes" Re view: [Spoiler] I have seen Avengers: Endgame twice now and I'm sorry, there is absolutely no way I can review the movie without spoiling it.  Avengers: Endgame is a defining cinematic moment. It is my generation's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 . All I was thinking about for months was the conclusion of The Infinity Saga. I watched all of the trailers and theory videos online, but was careful that I wasn't exposed to any plot spoilers. And I have to say that Avengers: Endgame has become my favourite movie of all time. Avengers: Endgame has b...

UK Release Date: 23 April 2015 Certification: 12A Director: Joss Whedon Cast: Paul Bettany, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Robert Downey Jr, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, James Spader Rating: 69 % "Is that the best you can do?" Review: At the time of release I believed Avengers: Age of Ultron was another Iron Man 2 . What I mean by this, is that the sequels are more convoluted than the originals ( Avengers Assemble and Iron Man respectively). The sequels give you more of what you loved about the original movies but both have way too many subplots. Iron Man 2 attempts to set up Avengers Assemble and Avengers: Age of Ultron attempts to set up Captain America: Civil War , Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War . However, in my opinion, the biggest disappointment of Avengers: Age of Ultron , is Ultron himself. After seeing the trailers for this movie I thought Ultron would be deadly serious, a form...

UK Release Date: 26 April 2012 Certification: 12A Director: Joss Whedon Cast: Chris Evans, Clark Gregg, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Cobie Smulders Rating: 87 % If we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it! Review: In 2012 Avengers Assemble [Original title, The Avengers ] was the biggest thing to come out of the comic book movie genre.  The storyline is basic but t he main reason this movie works is because of what came before. The movie is enjoyable in it’s own right but watching the earlier solo character movies definitely make Avengers Assemble so much better. Avengers Assemble was the first team-up movie and the culmination of five different movies released over four years (four solo movies and a sequel). And no one would have expected that seven years later we would be in the Avengers: Endgame . The six original Avengers are brilliant...