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KUNG FU PANDA 3 (2016)
Whether or not this is the farewell for this under-appreciated animated series is uncertain, but Kung Fu Panda 3 provides a conclusive finale that brings the journey of its chubby protagonist to meaningful resolution. What’s assumed to be the final note in a trilogy sees Po (Jack Black) confronting both his past and future, as…
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THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT (2016)
Identity and the search for self play an integral role in the structure of good YA fiction. It’s therefore as ironic as it is wasteful that the Divergent saga has so palpably lost its personality. The third instalment of this adaptation of Veronica Roth’s book series fails to charm, and proffers no reason to return for next year’s final chapter.…
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BETTER CALL SAUL, 2.4 – ‘Gloves Off’
My favourite episode of Better Call Saul’s first season was episode 6, “Five-O”, which could be seen as a problem because it had the least to do with the titular character, Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). It was instead a showcase for Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks), answering questions about this ex-cop-turned-enforcer that had been lingering since…
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VINYL, 1.4 – ‘The Racket’
Whisper it quietly but this week’s episode of Vinyl was a lot less portentous and a lot more fun. Admittedly, much of that fun came from watching Richie (Bobby Cannavale) get called out by first Devon (Olivia Wilde) and then Lester (Ato Essandoh), in addition to getting visited by the police and drenched by the…
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HIGHLANDER (1986)
Highlander was released in North America on 7 March 1986 to mixed-to-negative reviews and little success at the U.S box office. A visually stylish sword-and-sorcery epic with a tech noir aesthetic, Highlander quickly grew in popularity on video and cable, becoming a word-of-mouth cult hit in the days before movies pre-sold themselves as cult items.…
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CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON: SWORD OF DESTINY (2016)
For all its critical and commercial success back in 2000, Ang Lee’s martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon doesn’t get talked about all that often—although it helped ease mainstream English-speaking audiences into foreign-language films. They’re not all black-and-white French dramas set inside grotty kitchens, folks. It was also, together with The Matrix the year…
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Rare Imports: Lesser-Known Gems of European TV
The rise in popularity of international TV drama on our screens is a testament to not only the quality of foreign imports, but the willingness of English-speaking viewers to watch something regardless of language. These days, we have dramas from Scandinavia and continental Europe airing in primetime slots on prominent UK digital channels, genuinely competing…
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Trailer: GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)
It’s a risk to review the first trailer of an unreleased movie, because the marketing department and the filmmakers are separate entities, and certainly have different agendas (commerce vs. art), but I thought it would be worth talking about the trailer for today’s long-awaited Ghostbusters remake, simply because fans have waited decades for footage of an official…
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AUDITION (1999)
The early-2000s were the era of the Japanese horror movie. Films like Ring, Dark Water, and The Grudge occupied the supernatural part of the genre, while movies such as Oldboy and Battle Royale ramped up the human horror; presenting scenes of extreme human violence that pushed the boundaries of censorship and, arguably, bad taste. The…
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BETTER CALL SAUL, 2.3 – ‘Amarillo’
How long will the honeymoon period at Davis & Main last for Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), who’s more of a lone wolf than a company man? We’re definitely heading for an acrimonious divorce (spoiler, for the 0.09% of viewers who haven’t seen Breaking Bad), and the tension could become unbearable if “Amarillo” is anything to go…
