Author: Rich Cline Page 44
Plastic
Lazy filmmaking undermines this sparky caper thriller, from paper-thin characters and convenient plot points to limp direction and corny editing. This is a real shame, because the bright rising-star cast brings real energy to the...
Movie Review posted on 2nd May 2014
Pompeii
Like an ancient Roman version of 2012, this disaster epic is a pure guilty pleasure, sparking plenty of laughter along with the massive effects-based carnage. It also helps that the screen is packed with muscle...
Movie Review posted on 1st May 2014
A Week In Movies: Tribeca Brings Out Stars In New York, Jennifer Films In L.A., Kelsey Shoots In London, And New Trailers Promise Music, Thrills And More Music
The Tribeca Film Festival is underway in New York, and stars have been turning out to promote their new movies. Jon Favreau and Sofia Vergara hit the red carpet for their film Chef. Sofia Loren...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 28th April 2014
Is 'The Other Woman' The New 'Bridesmaids'?
The 2011 breakout hit Bridesmaids seems to have made a permanent shift in gender dynamics of big Hollywood comedies. No longer happy to exist as idealised love interests, women are finally taking over. Bridesmaids scene-stealer...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 25th April 2014
If Spider-Man Is So Amazing, Why Isn't He In 'The Avengers'?
Marvel Comics characters are all over cinema screens this year, from Captain America to Spider-Man to the forthcoming X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy. But after The Avengers united several characters, fans are wondering why...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 25th April 2014
We Are the Freaks
This offbeat British drama shows real promise for new filmmaker Justin Edgar, although his relentlessly gimmicky filmmaking style is so attention-grabbing that it makes it nearly impossible to engage with the story or characters. But...
Movie Review posted on 25th April 2014
Blue Ruin
Dark and freaky, this brutal, low-key revenge thriller throws a bunch of relatively simple people into a moral quagmire, and drags us in as well. It's a remarkably effective exploration of how deep emotions can...
Movie Review posted on 25th April 2014
Tracks
The true story behind this movie just about makes up for its oddly flat tone, which never quite captures either the grandeur of the Australian Outback or the deeper emotions of the people on-screen. The...
Movie Review posted on 25th April 2014
Transcendence
Far too slow-paced to work as a thriller and too shallow to properly challenge us as science fiction, this film is unlikely to please many audience members. That isn't to say that it's unwatchable: it...
Movie Review posted on 25th April 2014
The Other Woman
While the story isn't particularly original, and the movie tends to drift over the top into broad slapstick, this comedy wins us over due to the camaraderie between the characters. Most refreshingly, this is a...
Movie Review posted on 24th April 2014
Cupcakes
Eurovison fans will find this Israeli comedy to be sheer cinematic joy. Not only is it a hilariously astute satire of the music competition, but it's also packed with deeper political meaning. And the music...
Movie Review posted on 24th April 2014
The Amazing Spider-man 2
As with the too-early franchise reboot in 2012, this sequel struggles to balance the demands of a teen romance with a superhero blockbuster. The interpersonal storylines are sharply written and skilfully played by the gifted...
Movie Review posted on 18th April 2014
Locke
A riveting performance from Tom Hardy makes this pseudo-thriller utterly riveting, turning even the most contrived plot elements into punchy drama. Like Robert Redford in All Is Lost or Sandra Bullock in Gravity, this one-person...
Movie Review posted on 18th April 2014
The Love Punch
An old-school caper comedy, this goofy romp struggles to surmount its badly contrived screenplay. Fortunately writer-director Joel Hopkins also has gorgeous locations and a cast of pros who are unafraid to make complete idiots of...
Movie Review posted on 17th April 2014
Reaching for the Moon
Based on a true story, this Brazilian drama has a lush authenticity as it tells a story that has strong historical relevance even as it sometimes slips into heightened melodrama. Filmmaker Bruno Barreto recreates the...
Movie Review posted on 17th April 2014
We Are the Best!
Swedish filmmaker Lukas Moodysson returns to the improv-style charms of his earlier films (like Together and Show Me Love), a welcome break from his more recent grim experimental dramas (see Mammoth or Lilya 4-ever). This...
Movie Review posted on 17th April 2014
13 Sins
Even if the premise is tired, this grim thriller holds the attention by focussing on the raw intensity of the characters' personal lives. It's also grisly enough to work as a bone-dry black comedy about...
Movie Review posted on 17th April 2014
A Week In Movies: Spider-Man Hits London, Aniston Films In LA, Trailers Arrive For Shaun And Earth To Echo, And A Short Film Teases Martin's Trek Home
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan and director Marc Webb were all in London to walk the red carpet at the world premiere of The Amazing Spider-man 2 on Thursday. The film opens...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 14th April 2014
George Clooney Turns To 'Pioneer' For Next Potential Oscar Winner
American producers are always looking for material to turn into movies, so it's no surprise that they continually remake European hits. Recent examples include of course David Fincher's 2011 remake of The Girl With the...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 11th April 2014
'The Raid 2' Ups The Ante and Expands With Glorious Results
After his lean, gritty Indonesian action thriller The Raid stormed the box office in 2012, Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans could have easily repeated that film's simple linear attack in the sequel. Instead, The Raid 2...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 11th April 2014
'Calvary' Rises to the Challenge of Tackling Religion on Film
After teaming up for the hit Irish action-comedy The Guard, actor Brendan Gleeson and writer-director John Michael McDonagh made the unexpected decision to set their next film around a priest.Brendan Gleeson [L] and Kelly Reilly...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 11th April 2014
The Raid 2
After the linear kick of 2011's surprise Indonesian hit The Raid, Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans is back with an epic-style sequel that sags under the weight of its ambitions. Indulgent both in its storytelling and...
Movie Review posted on 11th April 2014
Calvary
After the 2011 black comedy The Guard, Brendan Gleeson reteams with writer-director John Michael McDonagh for a darker comical drama grappling with issues of faith and forgiveness. McDonagh's usual jagged dialogue and snappy characters are...
Movie Review posted on 11th April 2014
Khumba
When this South African animated adventure embraces its unique setting and characters, it's visually stunning and a lot of fun. But it also tries to force everything into a trite Hollywood formula, unnecessarily adding clunky...
Movie Review posted on 11th April 2014
The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears
Deliberately disorienting, this stylish Belgian horror movie will delight fans of Italian giallo as it finds an odd emotional connection even though the surreal plot never quite comes into focus. Yes, it's kind of like...
Movie Review posted on 11th April 2014
Pioneer
A palpable sense of menace infuses this slow-burning Norwegian thriller, which is based on shocking, unsettling real-life events. Anchored by a terrific central performance from Aksel Hennie (Headhunters), the film sometimes strains to force the...
Movie Review posted on 10th April 2014
Half of a Yellow Sun
By trying to include an entire acclaimed novel on-screen, first-time filmmaker Biyi Bandele waters down momentous real-life events. The film is fascinating enough to hold our attention as it traces the first decade of Nigeria's...
Movie Review posted on 10th April 2014
Will 'Rio 2' Soar, Or Will It Fall Victim To The Curses Of The Sequel?
It's common knowledge that a sequel has to be more spectacular than the film that came before it, which is one of the reasons people are starting to worry about the Marvel universe (saving the...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 4th April 2014
'Divergent' May Be Popular, But It Is The Next Big Franchise?
Since the Harry Potter and Twilight series ended in 2011 and 2012, respectively, studios are on the lookout for the next blockbuster movie franchise. And since it worked for those sagas, they have been turning...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 4th April 2014
'Noah': An Epic Of Biblical Proportions Taking America By Storm
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky has experimented with most genres over the course of his career, from brainy freak-out ('Pi') to gritty self-discovery ('The Wrestler') by way of intense drama ('Requiem for a Dream'), personal sci-fi odyssey...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 4th April 2014
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Leisure Festival - Dreamland in Margate
On the same day that Glastonbury welcomed back Margate's adopted sons, The Libertines, Margate itself put on it's very own Leisure Festival as it...
Pretty Fierce talk to us about collaborating with Doja Cat, emetophobia, arena tours and staying "true to yourself" [EXCLUSIVE]
Sheffield's very own all girl group Pretty Fierce are still on a high after the recent release of their debut single - 'Ready For Me'.
Will Varley & Jack Valero - The Astor Theatre Deal Live Review
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WYSE talks to us about her "form of synaesthesia", collaborating with Radiohead's Thom York and the prospect of touring with a band [EXCLUSIVE]
With only a few days to go before Portsmouth based songstress and producer WYSE releases her new single, 'Belladonna', we caught up with her to find...
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Bay Bryan talks to us about being a "wee queer ginger", singing with Laura Marling and being inspired by Matilda [EXCLUSIVE]
Colorado raised, Glasgow educated and Manchester based Bay Bryan is nothing if not a multi-talented, multi-faceted artist performing as both...
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Former Marigolds band member Keelan Cunningham has rediscovered his love of music with his new solo project Keelan X.
![Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]](https://images.contactmusic.com/images/home/homepage/luke-de-sciscio-abof-a.jpg "Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]")
Luke De-Sciscio talks to us about having the courage to be yourself, forgiving that which is outside of one's control and following whims [EXCLUSIVE]
Wiltshire singer-songwriter Luke De Sciscio, formally known as Folk Boy, is set to release is latest album - 'The Banquet' via AntiFragile Music on...
Annie Elise talks to us about the challenges a female producer has to face and "going through a year of grief and sickness" [EXCLUSIVE]
Electronic music pioneer and producer Annie Elise says that the release of her first EP - 'Breathe In, Breathe Out' feels "both vulnerable and...
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