Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

24 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

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Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, John Boyega, Kelly MArie Tran, Laura Dern, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Rian Johnson

I really wanted to like this, after all, it is a Star Wars film, not a prequel like ‘Rogue One’, where it quite honestly does not detract from your enjoyment of the series if choose not to see it. ‘The Last Jedi’ is the follow on from ‘The Force Awakens’, a much beloved return to the series which reintroduced our favourite characters after a long absence. So, the pressure was on to deliver something either on par with ‘The Force Awakens’ or to strive to create something better.

For this review, I’m going to split it quite clearly into two sections. A non-spoiler section to begin with, and then a spoiler section because frankly there is a lot to discuss.

NON-SPOILER

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Bright (2017) Netflix

22 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Crime & Gangster, Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

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David Ayer, Edgar Ramirez, Joel Edgerton, Lucy Fry, Noomi Rapace, will smith

Will Smith is currently on the promotional tour for ‘Bright’, the latest Netflix original film. When asked to summarise the premise, his explanation is that the film is a combination of ‘Training Day’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’. This is certainly one ploy to generate interest for the film. After all, ‘Training Day’ is one of the best police dramas of its genre, and though I haven’t seen it for many years, I still remember it fondly. While ‘Lord of the Rings’ is a much beloved fantasy epic, one focused on destroying a powerful object. Where the heroes are required to travel across Middle-Earth, meeting various fantasy characters along their journey.
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Atomic Blonde (2017)

06 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Crime & Gangster, Drama, Spy, Thriller

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Bill Skarsgard, Charlize Theron, David Leitch, Eddie Marsan, james mcavoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella, Toby Jones

As the credits began to roll for ‘Atomic Blonde’, my mind did two things. Firstly, it continued to compile a list of comparisons to other films that had begun during the opening moments, and secondly, it was trying to comprehend the twist in that last scene. For as I eased back in my chair, resting my hands on the back of my head, and intertwining my fingers. My brain automatically began the process of dissecting and analysing all I had just witnessed, and I was struck by the film’s blatant audacity to so heavily borrow from other films and adverts whilst also creating its own style.

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War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

27 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller, War

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Amiah Miller, Andy Serkis, Karin Konoval, Matt Reeves, Michael Adamthwaite, Steve Zahn, Terry Notary, Ty Olsson, Woody Harrelson

I will wholeheartedly, step forward, raise my hand, and admit that this is the first ‘Planet of the Apes’ film that I have managed to sit through in its entirety. Which is not to diminish the success or quality of the previous films. Merely that there is something about a war between humans and apes that I initially struggled to become fully immersed in, and I know I am not alone.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

23 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Comedy, Comic Books, Science Fiction

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Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jon Watts, Laura Harrier, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Holland, Tony Revolori, Zendaya

If you were to ask a group of people who had neither read comic books, nor have watched a single superhero film, to name three characters from a comic book. I would place high odds that one of the names most frequently mentioned would be Spider-Man, next to perhaps Batman, Wolverine or Superman.
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The Fate of the Furious (2017)

19 Thursday Oct 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Drama

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Charlize Theron, Dame Helen Mirren, Dwayne Johnson, Elsa Pataky, F.Gary Gray, Jason Statham, Kristofer Hivju, Kurt Russell, Ludacris, luke evans, Michelle Rodriguez, Nathalie Emmanuel, Scott Eastwood, Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel

The film opens in Cuba, an abundance of beautiful landscapes and low angled shots of girls dancing in skirts so short as to make them redundant. A race is about to start between Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and a local racer. Dom, ever the family man, is racing to help his cousin who just lost a bet, because if there is one thing that has been made crystal clear throughout the series, it’s that nothing is more important than family, and perhaps a Corona or two. Continue reading →

Wonder Woman (2017)

10 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Comic Books, Science Fiction

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Allan Heinberg, Chris Pine, Connie Nielson, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Eugene Brave Rock, Ewen Bremmer, Gal Gadot, Lucy Davis, Patty Jenkins, Robin Wright, Said Taghmaoui

Wonder Woman marks the first female solo film since DC and Marvel began this journey of creating cinematic universes, because despite Marvel’s impressive 16 films since 2008, we have yet to see a female protagonist star in her own film, or indeed a solo female origin story, though god knows we have plenty of male stories to choose from. Surprisingly, it is DC who has taken the first step forward for equality, by not only producing an origin story for a female character, but with director Patty Jenkins at its helm. A comment on the sad state of the current gender political climate that a female director is still somewhat unusual, and though the number of well-known women directors is growing, progress is painfully slow. Continue reading →

King Arthur: Legend of The Sword (2017)

28 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

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Aidan Gillen, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Eric Bana, Freddie Fox, Guy Ritchie, Jude Law

I’ve never read a single King Arthur story, nor do I recall ever watching a King Arthur film, though I am aware of the more famous elements of those stories such as The Roundtable, the Lady of the Lake, Merlin, and Excalibur. That is quite literally Continue reading →

Alien: Covenant (2017)

19 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller

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Billy Crudup, Callie Hernandez, Carmen Ejogo, danny mcbride, Demian Bichir, Jussie Smollett, Katherine Waterson, Michael Fassbender, Ridley Scott

Once more we shall send only our most competent, highly trained, and qualified astronauts to venture into space for the good of humanity. Or failing that we instead send the crew from Alien: Covenant, a film that heavily relies on ‘Alien: The Greatest Hits’, whilst being dominated by performances from Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston. Complete with unintentionally comedic moments, flute lesson anyone?
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)

05 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by Oliver Hackett-Watson in Action, Adventure, Comedy, Comic Books, Science Fiction

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bradley cooper, Chris pratt, Dave Bautista, James Gunn, Karen Gillian, Kurt Russell, michael Rooker, Sylvester Stallone, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana

The freaking Guardians of the Galaxy have returned to our screens, complete with bright technicolor characters and landscapes, and with a new soundtrack to complement their numerous slow-motion strides. This time around Peter is discovered by his father Ego, while the rest of the team reaffirm their value to one other with a new addition to the group called Mantis.
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