Neil Blomkamp has not forgotten Halo; his doomed project to bring the successful videogame science fiction series to the big screen, under the guiding hand of Peter Jackson, looms large in some of the imagery of his new feature Elysium. The great titular space station which hangs in the sky above Blompamp’s vision of a … Continue reading Elysium
As a genre, the comedy road trip movie is not often the site of great originality. Failing inspiration, competency is the least required, and We’re The Millers is a fine example of how low ambition can reap modest rewards – an amusing and raunchy but ultimately predictable and unoriginal comedy. Jason Sudeikis, a man many … Continue reading We’re The Millers
Kick Ass 2’s creative process, though not totally unique, was certainly an interesting one. After the runaway, and deserved success of the plucky original film, the author of the original comic book, Mark Millar, decided there was more to come, and wrote two more books, Kick Ass 2 and Hit Girl. Meanwhile, as he did … Continue reading Kick Ass 2
Along with action blockbusters, the horror genre is probably that which gets accused of stagnancy the most; the perception that films are only greenlit if they follow the trends making money in the cinemas is a popular one, and almost certainly a largely correct one. Franchises like the Paranormal Activity films stretch on past their … Continue reading You’re Next
You could be forgiven for thinking that Patrick Wilson enjoys being scared witless. After his turn in Insidious as a terrified father combating supernatural forces, and with that film’s sequel due out soon, Wilson is back in the meantime in The Conjuring, a horror film which plays it too safe, but doesn’t do all that … Continue reading The Conjuring
It takes something special to make a big splash at the Cannes Film Festival, but director Nicholas Winding Refn (Drive) hit upon one sure-fire technique this year: lash your film with almost unreal amounts of gore. Only God Forgives was booed off the screen at the festival, mauled in first-look reviews, and come release, is … Continue reading Only God Forgives
Unforeseen Consequences 