Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller // 2014 // 102 mins

Godzilla

In 1954 a creature stomped its way into Japanese cinemas that would become the most iconic movie monster to grace the silver screen. A franchise made up of 27 sequels and an American recut of the original later and Godzilla had undoubtedly earned it's place at the top of cinema's food chain; the king of the monsters. 1998 saw the first attempt at a US remake of the now classic film, a product that has gained notoriety as being one of the worst blockbusters of our generation and tainting an icon's cinematic legacy. Just under sixteen years later, and just in time for the original's 60th anniversary. Gareth Edwards has brought us a revitalised Godzilla film that not only honours it's original, it earns it's own spot beside it in the pantheon of great monster movies.

Godzilla
Gareth Edwards // 2014 // 123 mins

Divergent

Divergent
Neil Burger // 2014 // 139 mins

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer 
Bong Joon-ho // 2014 // 126 mins

Revisiting the Spider-Man Trilogy

2012 was undoubtedly the year of the comic book movie with a blockbuster season that saw Marvel bring together all of it's greatest heroes in one film for The Avengers, Christopher Nolan conclude his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises and Marc Webb reboot the Spider-Man franchise with The Amazing Spider-Man.

The Avengers ran away with the title of best comic book film that summer, and for some reason most people maintain that The Dark Knight Rises was a strong second place and equally great. As a result it became the cool thing to hate on The Amazing Spider-Man. I'm not claiming that the film was without flaws or on par with The Avengers, but it was a much better film than many considered it and suffered greatly from being released amongst such heavy-hitters that had the advantage of being hyped up by previous successful films in their respective series'.

Three weeks ago, and then again last week, I went to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a film which I was incredibly excited for and enjoyed just as much as the first. Unfortunately it seems that the general consensus on this series is staying strong and I've seen a steady stream of hate being thrown at the sequel. A common statement being tossed about by said 'haters' is that Webb's films will never match the greatness of Sam Raimi's first two Spider-Man films (I think we all know of his third films reputation), and so I thought it was time to revisit Raimi's trilogy and see exactly what Webb's films are supposedly failing to live up to.

Oldboy

I was never a part of the huge cult following that surrounded the original Oldboy, in fact I only got around to watching the film for the first time last year. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could definitely see why so many held it in such high esteem, I had just come to the film a bit too late to join their ranks. I'm starting my review of last years remake by telling you this because I have a feeling that my position in relation to the original probably had a considerable impact on my response to Spike Lee's version.

Oldboy
Spike Lee // 2013 // 104 mins

Elysium

2009's District 9 was one of the most exciting directorial debut's of not just the Science Fiction genre, but of any. Director Neill Blomkamp masterfully crafted a unique and entertaining action film that was also loaded with an astute social and political commentary. That the director set such a strong standard for himself makes his problematic follow up film, Elysium, all the more disappointing.

Elysium
Neill Blomkamp // 2013 // 109 mins

Kick-Ass

If you're unsure about whether or not this is a film you might enjoy I'm going to start this review with one simple fact that is sure to help. Kick-Ass was the first film I had ever seen which dropped the C-bomb, it is spoken 37 minutes into the film by an 11 year old girl, moments before she massacres a room full of men with a double bladed sword. Still interested? Read on...

The Dark Knight Rises

Seven years ago Christopher Nolan unleashed a film that was to be the start of a new Batman franchise. Batman Begins wowed viewers and took them back to the dark, gritty roots of the character that had been defiled by the gaudy neon paint of the characters previous outing, Batman & Robin. Four years ago Nolan followed up his origins story by pitting the hero against his ultimate long-standing enemy, The Joker. An immaculate performance and brilliant storytelling propelled The Dark Knight to comic-movie history, securing the franchise as the creme-de-la-creme of superhero films. Nineteen hours ago I sat in my seat at my local Odeon and watched the trailers roll before the third and final film in Nolan's trilogy began, The Dark Knight Rises.

*WARNING* May contain mild spoilers.

Avengers Assemble

At the time of writing this review I have seen (The) Avengers Assemble a total of four times, twice in 2D, once in 3D and my initial viewing in IMAX 3D. This film has become one of the biggest ever cinematic releases, garnering an incredible one and a half billion dollars, and has been lauded one of the greatest comic book films ever made. Here are my two cents.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Just ten years after Sam Raimi's original Spiderman trilogy hit cinema screens Marvel has brought their most prized superhero back for a rebooted adventure. Continuing in the vein of darker grown-up comic adaptations Spidey's latest outing is an emotionally packed film full of action, humour and an exceptional cast which tries its best to distinguish itself as a completely separate entity to the aforementioned franchise.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Chances are while you were growing up you would have encountered at least one fairy tale, the story of a loveable rogue or dainty princess fighting the evil queens and warlocks who threaten their happily ever after. The thing about fairy tales though, is that once you grow up the fantastical stories start to lose their appeal and the Disney-esque wonderment isn't enough the entertain. Cue 'grown-up' fairytales, films that have gained substantial interest as of late, where a well-loved tale is re-presented in a darker, more pointy package. Cue, this time around, Snow White and the Huntsman.