Popcorn_Media

NOPE is a difficult one to process. Its an impeccably directed and beautiful to look at film that has many scenes of brilliance. Frustratingly, these moments don't quite convene into a fully satisfying whole but it's an intense, imaginative and refreshing ride.

An intense, excellently performed, well paced, beautifully shot dramatisation of a miraculous true story that will have you holding your breathe for a solid 2 and a half hours.

For a Pixar release, this certainly felt rather conventional and safe but that's not to say its bad in any way! It looks stunning (I expect nothing less from this studio) its got great characters (SOX is my new favourite thing) and there's plenty laughs to be found as they bumble their way through a rather generic but light-hearted family romp. Its a lightyear away from the greatness of the first TOY STORY but Buzz does plenty enough to be more than just a child's play thing.

Staying in the same vein as its predecessor, LOVE & THUNDER is full of silliness, quirky characters and daft action. Frustratingly the stakes feel rather low this time around and anytime anything meaty comes along, the jokes take priority, for better or for worse. Narratively, just like Thor himself, this forth instalment feels just a little bit lost.

Fun though.

This generic nineties actioner flies through plenty of turbulence but knows exactly how to own one's absurdity. A prison plane packed full of great characters, timeless quotes, a great soundtrack and a stacked cast. CON AIR flies above the rest and fully deserves it's classic action film status. Yee-haw!

Austin Butler.... The true king of this film! Ain't no-one ever going to play Elvis the way this guy does! Furthermore, this shines real bright when it focuses on the music, it's audio and visual tricks will leave even the hardest to please All Shook Up. Frustratingly Tom Hank's accent only serves as a distraction and it's run-time does outstay its welcome on stage.. clocking in at 2h 39m this feels long. The first half whipping by at breakneck speeds and then slowing right down for the inevitable conclusion... Perhaps, in hindsight, this film could benefited from just a little less conversation.

Featuring an awe-inspiring soundtrack, brutally impressive battles, stunning visuals and an emotionally charged narrative that will strike you straight through the heart, GLADIATOR is Ridley Scott's cinematic masterpiece!

Far from groundbreaking and often clearly green-screened DROP ZONE doesn't quite stick the landing but its still a fun, cheesy, well paced and consistently entertaining time.

OK, so this is way better than it has any right to be and totally caught me off guard! Crammed full of cameos, nostalgia, hilarious quips and impressive animation (old and new). CHIP N' DALE is easily the best family film of the year so far!

Colin Trevorrow was so preoccupied with weather he could squeeze all his ideas into a film, he didn't stop to think if he should try and squeeze them all into his film. The narrative is so overstuffed it would fill a Mosasaurus, the action frustratingly lacks any kind of tension, horror or real threat to the main characters and the occasional call backs seen in JW and JW:FK are now as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. That's not to say its a bad film, there's some excellent character moments with the original cast and Jeff Goldblum is brilliant, injecting some much needed humour into this otherwise pretty dry sequel. Being a huge JP fan, this could simply be a case of high expectations getting the better of me but the lack of exhilaration and awe upon leaving the cinema is painful.

What starts off as a light-hearted stereotypical Disney jaunt soon becomes a pretty dark coming of age story. The CGI is underwhelming but the message of friendship, grief, and the power of imagination makes BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA a heartfelt and admirable family film.

Slipstreaming off the nostalgia of the first one just enough to allow it's engines to fully fire up, this sequel truly flies high. Cruise's devotion to great blockbuster film-making that avoids green screens and focuses on true practical effects shows in every frame and is all the better for it! Very few films have ever conveyed the feeling of speed and the sickening g-forces on it's characters as this one does. Then, masterfully, it unifies both films to form an immensely thrilling and emotionally impactful climax. TOP GUN 2 is mach-10 and then some,- a perfect sequel to a beloved classic that somehow manages to hit every single target.. including the return of that unforgettable soundtrack!

Although the narrative tends to float around a little bit.. adrift in subplots and distractions, MASTER AND COMMANDER is an impressive showcase in practical effects, rich in salty sea air atmosphere and it's that wonderfully detailed, it could be described by some as a smartly disguised historical lesson in 1800's ship warfare.

Astounding in every single way. From it's unforgettable characters, stellar cast, emotionally charged narrative, right the way though to its heartfelt core. THE GREEN MILE is wholly absorbing and is by far one of the finest films ever made.

Nope, I hated this... THE LOST CITY is an empty shell of a movie. Generic story, eye rollingly bad dialogue, unfunny and predictable to every beat. Come on Hollywood, you can do better than this.

Incredible performances, superb production design and stunning cinematography MACBETH does everything right. The reason for the 3 stars is not of the films fault but my own. It's the same issue I had with Denzel Washington's adaptation of Macbeth also... One does not understand a word. Like watching a foreign film with missing subtitles, not being able to understand the dialogue left me totally detached and frustrated. Again... not the films fault, but my own.

There is literally a little bit of everything and everywhere pretty much all at once! It's a pure assault on the senses which not only shows the amount of skill these two directors have at keeping things somewhat under control, but also underlines just how creative they truly are too! There's a LOT of ideas floating around here but if you can mentally keep up, this is a hugely rewarding film that deserves every bit of praise it's been receiving.

FYI: I wrote this review with my toes... Literally impossible to type with my giant hot dog fingers.

DOCTOR STRANGE 2 is indeed strange.... and creative, and facetious, often scary and always visually delicious. A few story beats disappoint but that's perhaps enviable after being spoilt so often in other MCU outings, yet this still manages to throw a few surprises at you later on. Elizabeth Olsen is spellbinding, new hero Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) has an exciting future and director Sam Raimi treats us to a host of haunted-house frights that have seldom been found in other comic book movies.

THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is a messy yet imaginative thrill ride that will spin your head around from humorous start to bonkers finish.

A brutal watch, not only because of some pretty disturbing scenes but also because it reminded me of the horrors I went through while I was dating. This was a twisted, stomach churning gore fest that will, oddly, leave you hungry for sausage.

This hauntingly beautiful short focuses on the suffocating impact of guilt and how it can drown out everyone and everything around you. It's dark and upsetting stuff but incredibly powerful.

This is very much on fully charted grounds, following the usual action adventuring beats... Generic twists and turns, terrible villains and mindless plot points galore. But that's not to say its bad... There's a number of stand out moments (The last 45 minutes are a blast!), Tom Holland is excellent, and there's some genuine laughs thanks to the chemistry between its two main stars. A fun, if not a little soulless, action adventure.

Just like the river this all takes place on, the narrative is quite rocky and does meander for quite some time before finally picking up steam. What follows is an intriguing, entertaining, old-fashioned, whodunnit detective drama.

As expected from director Guillermo del Toro, NIGHTMARE ALLEY is a visually pleasing picture, with swooping cameras, classic fades and exquisite sets. Disappointingly though, that's its only real trump card. There's many great little moments throughout its run-time but Christ, is this film long! Further dragged out by its numerous crescendo fake outs, (all of which would have been more interesting than what we actually got) and it's meandering narrative, the story simply lacks the punch we're all hoping for. It's beautiful, it has shimmers of greatness, but ultimately this circus didn't have enough new tricks to truly capture me.

Through no fault of its own, thy doth fail to understandeth a single word doth characters hath sayeth, which ultimately destroyed 90% of my enjoyment. It is, however, visually gorgeous with some truly striking imagery, THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH is literally moving art.

The fault here though, dear reader, is not in tis' film, But in theyself, I am the underling.

KING RICHARD serves up a juicy biopic, featuring a volley of incredible performances and some pitch perfect casting (the sisters are the ace here!) The only fault I'd personally mention is I'd have preferred a little more attention on the Williams sisters over their occasionally irritating father, but its a small gripe. So, other than the occasional drop shot, this Will Smith produced drama is an almost perfect game, set and match.