Mac's Movies

UK Release Date:  12 January 2024 Certification:  18 Director:  Yorgos Lanthimos Cast:  Christopher Abbott, Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Carmichael, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Mark Ruffalo,  Emma Stone, Ramy Youssef Rating:   79% Review: Yorgos Lanthimos' latest film, Poor Things , is by far his most ambitious feature.  Tackling feminist ideals, a woman's appreciation of her own body and the transition from childhood to young-adolescence - most of which is layered in metaphorical subtext. There is a lot to take in and process fully.  Akin to Mary Shelley's gothic tale of Frankenstein and his monster, Poor Things explores that godlike complex that the 'scientist' has over its 'experiment'. With Bella (Emma Stone) referring to her surrogate father, Godwin (Willem Dafoe), as God. It creates an interesting dynamic between the two that shapes the opening act of the film. There's a certain level of respect and admiration that was never present in ...

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:   24 October 2017 Certification:  12A Director:  Taika Waititi Cast:  Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Taika Waititi  Rating: 85 % "I'm made of rocks, as you can see, but don't let that intimidate you." Review:   Thor: Ragnarok is by far the best entry in the Thor trilogy. Taika Waititi is able to bring a different, more vibrant feel too in all honesty a boring character. I'm very excited to see what direction he goes in next year with the release of Thor: Love and Thunder .  The cast is exceptional in this movie. Chris Hemsworth finally gets to show off his comedic chops as Thor which has since made him one of my favourite characters in the MCU - the opening scene just sets up the feel for the rest of the movie. I utterly enjoyed seeing Mark Ruffalo added to the cast in a buddy cop role. His role was of course influenced by...

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: 26 April 2019 Certification: 12A Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast: Josh Brolin, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Pratt, Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana Rating: 96% "Zip it, Thanos." Review: [Spoiler] My review of Avengers: Infinity War contains several spoilers. For me, the best part of Avengers: Infinity War is the development of Thor's character. He has lost everything - a broken God - but despite this remains entertaining throughout most of the movie. I loved the hilarious exchanges with the Guardians of the Galaxy which beautifully sets up the 'Asgardians of the Galaxy.' I hope Thor features prominently in the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie.  Thanos is my second favourite villain in the MCU, behind Loki. Thanos is the main protagonist of Avengers: Infinity War . If the Russo brothers didn't cleverly afford Thanos the most screen...

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...