Putting the “ape” in “The Great Esc-ape”. 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was the one of the big movie surprises for me of that year. With staggeringly good mo-cap for the apes and a touching and memorable story it was (or would have been) a 5-Fad classic. Â 2014’s “Dawn of the Planet … Read more
Wow!  I’d heard all about the Oscar hype surrounding this film but to be honest, while I thought I would be seeing a solid and well-made indie film, I went into it without great expectations of having an ‘enjoyable’ time: the trailer had “angst” written all over it. And – sure – it is emotional and harrowing … Read more
“Sleep by day…”. Ben Affleck’s new movie could best be described as “sprawling”. In both directing and writing the screenplay (based on a novel by Dennis Lehane), Affleck has aimed for a “Godfather” style gangster epic and missed: not missed by a country mile, but missed nonetheless. Morally bankrupted by his experiences in the trenches, … Read more
It was another good day for the glaziers of Metropolis and Gotham. I went into the hugely hyped “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” with VERY low expectations, but came out with those expectations mildly exceeded. The film picks up at the finale of “Man of Steel” with the glass-shattering fight between Kal-El and General … Read more
(Note that this review will be specifically spoiler free!) One of the year’s most anticipated films, David Fincher’s Gone Girl doesn’t disappoint delivering a stylish and sophisticated cinematic punch to the guts. Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) arrives home on the day of his fifth wedding anniversary to find the door open, signs of disarray inside … Read more