Film Review: Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin
Runtime: 131 minutes

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation does the impossible; it proves a big budget blockbuster can craft exciting and stylish action without sacrificing a little thing called substance. 

60 Second Film Reviews #21

Quick movie reviews, without the waffle. 60 Second Film Reviews is a regular feature where I compile together brief reviews of recent films I've watched at home or at the movies - and generally couldn't be arsed didn't find time to write a proper review for.

On the slate this month, we have a some recent DVD releases; The Loft, It Follows and The November Man.

Film Review: They Have Escaped

A haunting fairytale set against the grim and isolated Finnish countryside, They Have Escaped sees two troubled teens, 19-year-old army deserter Joni (Teppo Manner) and 17-year-old tearaway Raisa (Roosa Söderholm), flee from a halfway house and embark on a rambling cross-country journey of self-discovery. 

Playing at Cinema Paradiso this Monday as part of the Scandinavian Film Festival, They Have Escaped is one of the more striking films on offer during the festival. Click here to read my full review over at Hooked on Film.

Film Review: Young Sophie Bell

Winner of Best Film at the 2014 Stockholm Film Festival, Young Sophie Bell is a erotically-charged coming-of-age tale set against the morbid backdrop of urban Berlin.

Playing at Cinema Paradiso this weekend as part of the 2015 Scandinavian Film Festival, I got the chance to review Young Sophie Bell for Hooked on Film. Click here to read my review along with two other picks from the Festival! Enjoy!

Verdict: Game of Thrones Season 5

This post contains spoilers for Season 5 of Game of Thrones. You have been warned.

It's only taken me several years, but I finally committed to sitting down and watching Game of Thrones. Yep, that's all five seasons (to date) across what I can only assume has been several weeks (it's been hard to keep track to be honest). 

Given that the most recent season wrapped up a few weeks back, I decided to put some of my musings into words on this here blog. Check out my verdict on Season 5, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Film Review: X-Men - Days of Future Past Rogue Cut

When Bryan Singer announced that Anna Paquin's Rogue had been left behind on the cutting room floor for 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, many fans were a little disappointed. After all, it was through her eyes that we, the audience, were first introduced to the world of X-Men way back in the year 2000.

Fast-forward to mid-2015 and Singer's hugely-successful rewrite of the X-Men mythos is getting a revamp on DVD with the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past Rogue Cut. With bonus Paquin (amongst others), Rogue Cut hopes to satisfy die-hard fans who've followed the franchise since the start. So, how does the new version of Days of Future Past stack up?

Film Review: Paper Towns

Jake Schreier’s coming-of-age dramedy Paper Towns strives to subvert the cliché-ridden YA genre, but some elements can’t quite dismiss that feeling of déjà vu. 

Film Review: Ant-Man

Director: Peyton Reed 
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll
Runtime: 117 minutes

From hammer-wielding demi-gods to shield-slinging super soldiers, Marvel Studios has been everywhere and done it all. Hell, we've even seen walking trees and talking raccoons play a part in their rapidly expanding company of heroes. 

But in their latest offering, Ant-Man, Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and his shrinkable suit promise to show us a different kind of hero; a father. 

Film Review: Being Evel

What goes up must come down. Although the basic laws of physics supposedly didn’t apply to legendary motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, they had a profound impact upon his life according to this insightful documentary from director Daniel Junge.

Being Evel is one of many awesome documentaries currently showing at Luna Cinemas as part of the 2015 Revelation International Film Festival - check out my full review and many others over on Hooked on Film here.

Time Travel, Tropes and Paradoxes (VOR)

Time travel. It's one of those film tropes that has seemingly endured since, well, since the dawn of time if you'll pardon the pun. Up there with alien invasions, zombie apocalypses, atomic wastelands and sentient robotics, time travel is just one of those things that has ingrained itself into the film medium so thoroughly that we no longer question its viability or plausibility. 

Last weekend, the latest instalment in the Terminator franchise, Terminator Genisys, has zapped into the cinemas. A series that revolves around time travel, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to reflect on the trope and discuss what prevailing stories that the sci-fi genre has continually revisited and dipped into.

Rank the Films: Terminator

As any regular reader of this blog will know, lists are pretty darn nifty. I have a profound appreciation for straight-up lists. This is the thinking behind Rank the Films, a regular feature that pulls apart the pros and cons of a series of films, ranking them in order of bad to good.

Under the microscope this month is the Terminator franchise, starting with James Cameron's 80's classic to Alan Taylor's most recent entry, Terminator: Genysis. Which film ranks as the best, and which the worst? Read on to find out where your favourite sits.

Film Review: Terminator Genisys

Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, Matt Smith, Byung-hun Lee, JK Simmons
Runtime: 125 minutes

Terminator Genisys is the fifth entry in the Terminator franchise, and the first since 2009's muddled Terminator Salvation. Directed by Alan Taylor, and heralding the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to the iconic series that made his name, Genisys attempts to rework the timeline and move the franchise in a different direction. But does it find its feet, or fall flat on its face?

Film Review: Star Wars Ep III - Revenge of the Sith

Director: George Lucas
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Oz, Christopher Lee
Runtime: 140 minutes

10 years old this month, Revenge of the Sith was (at the time) the definitive conclusion to George Lucas' Star Wars saga. In conjoining the Original Trilogy and the newer, less revered Prequels, Revenge of the Sith is the strongest entry since 1983's Return of the Jedi.

And yet, it's still not great. The Star Wars magic is still missing in places. Here are my thoughts on how Episode III stands up today...