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:  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...

UK Release Date:  25 February 2005 Certification:  15 Director:  Wes Anderson Cast:  Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson Rating:   76 % Review: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou , a delightful, if under appreciated, entry into Wes Anderson's filmography. A revenge story, a rekindled relationship between father and son, an exploration of grief - there's a bit of everything in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou .  The way the film is shot is gorgeous. Wes Anderson's symmetrical style is of course there but it's a lot more subdued, present in the background rather than the main feature itself. It's documentary-like filmmaking involves the audience with the band of the Belafonte, leading to stronger emotional connection. The stop-motion animation of sea life is magnificent, adding to Wes' impressive talent for stop-motion - seen in  Fantastic Mr. Fox and Isle of Dogs . Underwate...

UK Release Date: 15 April 2022 Certification: 15 Director: Robert Eggers Cast: Claes Bang, Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Gustav Lindh, Alexander Skarsgård Rating: 79% "I will avenge you, Father! I will save you, Mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!" Review: The Northman is acclaimed director Robert Eggers' third feature film and it lives up to the hype. A Viking story unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's visually stunning, has a boisterous score and some superb performances.  I hadn't seen a Robert Eggers film before  The Northman  so the first half an hour was just bizarre and it did take me a while to acclimatise to what exactly I was watching. There were naked men, people pretending to be dogs and fantastical elements.  Alexander Skarsgård's pivotal performance as Prince Amleth is the centre point of the movie's success. His arc is really great and kept me captivated from start to finish. From a boy who is h...

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: 10 April 2015 Certification: 15 Director: Chad Stahelski Cast: Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, Michael Nyqvist, Adrianne Palicki, Lance Reddick, Keanu Reeves, Dean Winters  Rating: 88% Don't set him off. Review: The reason that John Wick works so well is that I was invested in the main character. Keanu Reeves as John Wick is perfect casting, he suits the character so well. John was angry, caring and funny at different times throughout the movie and Keanu Reeves played that aspect of the character effortlessly.  Supporting cast members Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe and Michael Nyqvist are all excellent, especially Alfie Allen who plays Iosef Tarasov - probably the character I wanted to die the most in a movie. Whilst Ian McShane and Lance Reddick don't have much screen time they still add gravitas to John Wick .  [Spoiler] Finally, Andy the beagle, John Wick's dog was so cute and I was mad when he was killed. Almost as mad as John W...

UK Release Date: 14 December 2018 Certification: 12A Director: James Wan Cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Rating:  50 % They made me what I am: a son of the land, a king of the seas.   Review:  In Aquaman , director James Wan has successfully created a world unlike any other. The visual spectacle of the underwater city, with the multitude of colours took my breathe away from the first moment I saw Atlantis. The enormous scale of Atlantis is impressive but the director skilfully uses CGI to illustrate the fine detail; for example, the cargo-bearing turtles and whales and the design of the Atlantean's ships, which all look like marine animals. I was a little sceptical ahead of Aquaman as James Wan made his name directing horror movies such as Annabelle , Saw and The Conjuring . I was worried that Aquaman would be too dark, but this is by far the funniest movie in the DC Extended Universe...