Quick pop quiz: name the four actors who have played Tom Clancy’s CIA character Jack Ryan on film….? OK – I’ll give you a clue… Chris Pine plays the latest incarnation in Kenneth Branagh’s new film: “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”. This is not a film that is going to challenge for the Oscars methinks, and … Read more
(Republishing due to wordpress seeming to have thrown away my original post). I love this time of year in the run up to the Oscars when the real power-house films come to the fore. 12 Years a Slave is a case in point: a hard film to watch, but ultimately a must see. … Read more
As director David O Russell how to you follow the critical and financial success of Silver Linings Playbook? The answer is with American Hustle, and boy – what a double bill that is! American Hustle is set in the late 70’s – big hair, loud clothes and a disco beat. Bradley Cooper plays Richie … Read more
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues could have been cringe-worthily terrible: the desecration of the Mona Lisa with an aerosol spray can. But actually, it’s a pretty good attempt to recapture and extend the hilarious concepts developed in the first film. We’ve moved on 10 years to the ‘80s and the egotistical and politically incorrect Ron … Read more
In Peter Jackson’s second in the Hobbit trilogy (aka “stretching a slim story to 8 hours+”) Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) with Thorin (Richard Armitage) – the man who would be king – and a company of dwarfs continue their quest to the Lonely Mountain in search of the Arkenstone – a mythical white jewel that … Read more