Reviewed by Greg King Director: Garth Davis Stars: Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tahar Rahin, Denis Menochet, Tcheky Karyo, Ryan Corr. In the 50s, Biblical films were extremely popular, with sweeping epics like the Oscar winning Ben Hur and the spectacular The Ten Commandments scoring at the box office. These stories drawn from the Bible featured timeless themes of good versus evil and epic battles. But in the 60s their popularity seemed to wane. More modern takes on Bible stories have tended to be revisionist in nature – Martin Scorsese’s Continue reading
TRIPLE 9
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: John Hillcoat Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck Anthony Mackie, Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot, Clifton Collins jr, Teresa Palmer, Michael K Williams, Michelle Ang, E Roger Mitchell. Australian director John Hillcoat makes visceral, violent, dark and aggressively masculine thrillers, ranging from the bleak prison drama Ghosts... Of The Civil Dead through to the gritty outback western The Proposition, the apocalyptic journey into a heart of darkness with The Road or the prohibition era crime drama Continue reading
SECRET IN THEIR EYES
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Billy Ray Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Dean Norris, Alfred Molina, Joe Cole, Michael Kelly, Zoe Graham. This twisting thriller about murder, the search for justice, grief, obsession, revenge and the high emotional cost of vengeance is a workmanlike but ultimately uninspired US remake of the 2010 Oscar winning Argentine film from director Juan Jose Campanella. Writer/director Billy Ray has relocated the action from 1970s Buenos Aires, with its political tensions and air of corruption and conspiracy, to Los Continue reading
HALF OF A YELLOW SUN
Reviewed by GREG KING Director: Biyi Bandele Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, John Boyenge. There have been many fine films about the birth of a nation, forged in fire and blood. But, unfortunately, this rather lacklustre, dull and laboured tale is not one of them. Based on the award winning novel by Nigerian author Chiumamanda Ngozi Adichise, Half Of A Yellow Sun is set against the backdrop of Nigeria as it achieved its independence from Britain. The sun was setting on the British Empire, especially as its influence in Africa Continue reading