A traumatised mercenary struggles when his latest assignment goes violently wrong in You Were Never Really Here, a superb and deeply effective thriller from writer/director Lynne Ramsay. Anyone who has seen her earlier features like Ratcatcher and We Need to Talk About Kevin will appreciate … Continue reading REVIEW: You Were Never Really Here (2017)
Of the popular action stars of the 1980s and 1990s, Jean-Claude Van Damme managed to develop better-than-average features by working with strong directors. Along with American filmmakers such as Peter Hyams in Timecop (1994) and Sudden Death (1995), and John G. Avildsen … Continue reading REVIEW: Maximum Risk (1996)
Luc Besson is a French film director whose personal brand of slick action thrillers – including Subway, La Femme Nikita, and Leon/The Professional – helped define what Raphaël Bassan named the ‘cinéma du look’. It was a perceived stylistic movement shared with the likes … Continue reading REVIEW: Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
There has been a weird rise in Internet chatter lately from Spider-Man fans demanding that Sony – in addition to continuing their hugely successful films with Marvel Studios – jump back in time and commission a third Amazing Spider-Man movie starring Andrew Garfield. To … Continue reading REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Don’t think. That’s pretty much the core requirement to enjoy Angels & Demons, Ron Howard’s 2009 adaptation of the popular Dan Brown novel. Okay, so that is probably not the best advice. Rather: the film will rush along from one set … Continue reading REVIEW: Angels & Demons (2009)
Moviegoers concerned that Hollywood produces too many needless, money-hungry sequels should feel reassured that it’s not just a contemporary phenomenon – nor is it an exclusively American one. After directing his second film, the 1944 propaganda picture The Most Beautiful, … Continue reading REVIEW: Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945)
In the mid-1950s, when Japanese cinema finally started to get international recognition, it was largely through the films of Akira Kurosawa. His films struck a chord with festival audiences, and he soon become the most famous Japanese director in the … Continue reading REVIEW: Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
It is difficult to know what to make of The King’s Man, Matthew Vaughn’s long-delayed prequel to his two successful Kingsman action films (The Secret Service in 2015, and The Golden Circle in 2017). It seems likely that 20th Century Studios were not sure what to … Continue reading REVIEW: The King’s Man (2021)
It has been a remarkably long time coming, but No Time to Die has finally emerged in cinemas around the world. It ends the second-longest hiatus in the history of the James Bond movie franchise – close to six years, and second … Continue reading REVIEW: No Time to Die (2021)
In October 2017 the People’s Republic of China held its 19th National Congress of the Communist Party. 2,300 party representatives assembled in Beijing to elect a new Central Committee, Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Politburo and Central Military Commission. The … Continue reading REVIEW: Sky Hunter (2017)
FictionMachine 