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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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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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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Ghost in the Shell (2017)

10 Thursday Aug 2017

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

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Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbaek, Ruper Sander, Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano

Though this film has been out for some time, there is a great deal to unpack and analyse within this live adaptation. So, to fully understand why I find this film problematic, I will be discussing and therefore revealing key plot points.

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Logan (2017)

12 Wednesday Jul 2017

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

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Boyd Holbrook, Dafne Keen, Hugh Jackman, James Mangold, Richard E. Grant, sir patrick stewart, Stephen Merchant

“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dyling of the light” Dylan Thomas.

One actor playing one character for seventeen years, appearing in nine films which include three trilogies, all within the comic book genre. For Hollywood, that’s a mighty impressive record. It’s been an extraordinarily rare opportunity to watch a character develop over such a longevity, particularly in a franchise that broke the mould for the superhero genre. To be part of both a collaborative effort in the X-Men films and experience the intensive scrutiny and focus of a spin-off trilogy, is something quite unheard of.
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