Author: Rich Cline Page 53
A Week In Movies: Rush and Diana premiere in London, Scarlett Johansson stuns Venice, Zac Efron taunts Seth Rogen
Naomi Watts was on the red carpet in London this week for the world premiere of Diana, about the final years in the life of the People's Princess. There were some touchy moments as she...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 6th September 2013
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Although set in the 1970s, this dramatic thriller has a distinctly Western vibe to it, digging into the darker emotional corners of characters who are trying to make it through life on their own terms....
Movie Review posted on 5th September 2013
About Time
Curtis has said he may stop making movies, and on the basis of this film you can kind of see why: he's clearly in a rut. While this romance attempts a bit of magical whimsy,...
Movie Review posted on 5th September 2013
No One Lives
Clearly designed to be as grisly as humanly possible, this movie combines a brutal central character with a very flimsy premise. And the result is actually rather good fun simply because it's so over-the-top. While...
Movie Review posted on 5th September 2013
The Great Hip Hop Hoax
Both engaging and eye-opening, this spirited documentary recounts an outrageous story with humour and honesty, revealing some nasty truths about the music industry in the process. The big issues are prejudice and greed, of course,...
Movie Review posted on 5th September 2013
Any Day Now
There's a subtle blast of righteous anger in this pointed drama, which finds present-day relevance in a true story that's more than 30 years old. The focus is on normal people who are caught up...
Movie Review posted on 5th September 2013
Riddick
Vin Diesel and filmmaker David Twohy wrestle their iconic intergalactic character back to his leaner, meaner roots in this bluntly titled thriller. This movie harks back to what made 2000's Pitch Black such a discovery:...
Movie Review posted on 5th September 2013
A Week In Movies: Gravity bows in Venice, One Direction takes to cinemas, all-star film explores JFK's death
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock brought their star power to opening night at the 70th Venice Film Festival on Wednesday. The event launched with the world premiere of Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, and the critical buzz...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 30th August 2013
Hammer of the Gods
Like Game of Thrones crossed with Braveheart but stripped of most of the budget, this scrappy film tells an intriguing story without the usual Hollywood bombast. And while the low-fi production makes it sometimes feel...
Movie Review posted on 29th August 2013
Upstream Color
Too-clever filmmaker Shane Carruth'sfascinating 2004 time-travel thriller Primer was confusing enough, but he goes a step further with this utterly impenetrable freak-out mystery. It looks amazing, and is packed with eerily resonant themes and feelings,...
Movie Review posted on 29th August 2013
You're Next
Wildly over-praised by audiences desperate for a scary horror movie, this film has little more than the germ of a solid idea followed by a series of predictable cliches. It's a clever twist on the...
Movie Review posted on 29th August 2013
Pain & Gain
Spirited and very funny, this movie should actually be rather disturbing since it's a true story about torture and murder. But director Michael Bay is so slick with the action and comedy elements that he...
Movie Review posted on 29th August 2013
The Way, Way Back
An especially strong script gives actors plenty to chew on in this comedy-drama, in which writer-directors Faxon and Rash (The Descendants) take an observant look at the awkward connections we make with each other. Using...
Movie Review posted on 29th August 2013
One Direction: This Is Us
Filmmaker Spurlock (Super Size Me) is known for his investigative wit, but there's none of that in this on-message doc about the most successful boy band in history. Still, the fans won't be able to...
Movie Review posted on 29th August 2013
A Week In Movies: Ben is Batman, One Direction deafens London, Disney humanises bears
This week's biggest story is that Ben Affleck will play Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, opposite Henry Cavill's Clark Kent (aka Superman). There's no word on the plot or...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 23rd August 2013
![The Dyatlov Pass Incident [aka Devil's Pass]](https://www.contactmusic.com/images/reviews2/the-dyatlov-pass-incident-fr.jpg "The Dyatlov Pass Incident [aka Devil's Pass]")
The Dyatlov Pass Incident [aka Devil's Pass]
Frankly, this thriller is a bit behind the curve in its storytelling, so even though it's a solidly well-made example of the found-footage genre, it feels derivative and tired. The script cleverly weaves in real...
Movie Review posted on 22nd August 2013
What Maisie Knew
Even though this drama is based on a 115-year-old novel, it feels powerfully timely today in the way it recounts events surrounding a particularly grim divorce. As we see the story through the eyes of...
Movie Review posted on 22nd August 2013
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Fans of Cassandra Clare's book series won't mind that this film is overcrowded and chaotic, but the uninitiated will be worn out by what feels like a superficial mash-up of leather-clad stereotypes. Director Zwart (who...
Movie Review posted on 22nd August 2013
We're the Millers
Consistently amusing but never uproariously funny, this comedy plays it relatively safely by gently subverting our expectations of Aniston and Roberts, while making rising-star Poulter the butt of most jokes. There's just enough rude humour...
Movie Review posted on 22nd August 2013
The Kings of Summer
This is the kind of American independent comedy-drama that restores our faith in the cinema, combining a talented cast, witty direction and a razor-sharp script to reboot the coming-of-age genre. It's an original approach that...
Movie Review posted on 22nd August 2013
Elysium
As he did with District 9, South African filmmaker Blomkamp grounds this sci-fi thriller in present-day society, telling a story that resonates with a strong political kick. He also again uses effects in a off-handed...
Movie Review posted on 22nd August 2013
A Week In Movies: Jennifer promotes the Millers, Angelina goes evil, Coogan moves beyond Alan Partridge
We're the Millers had a huge premiere in London this week, and stars Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis and Will Poulter were all over town promoting the film before walking the blue carpet in Leicester Square....
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 16th August 2013
Kuma: The Second Wife
A sensitive drama about a hidden subculture, this film is sometimes difficult to watch as its naturalistic approach reveals chilling details about a Turkish family living in Austria. The melodramatic script sometimes feels like it's...
Movie Review posted on 15th August 2013
Call Girl
A confident drama about a real-life 1976 political scandal, this Swedish film is expertly tells the story from three fascinating angles. The government officials are slippery and the cops are tenacious, but it's the intensely...
Movie Review posted on 15th August 2013
Planes
Disney takes over Pixar's "World of Cars" with this spin-off that no-one really asked for (Cars 2 wasn't exactly a mega-hit). Indeed, this is an essentially disposable adventure, smiley and formulaic with a few minor...
Movie Review posted on 15th August 2013
2 Guns
What looks like a rather standard buddy action comedy is elevated by a smarter-than-normal script, skilful direction and surprisingly offhanded chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg. In addition to the usual action chaos, the film lets...
Movie Review posted on 15th August 2013
Lovelace
An unusual structure gives this biopic a surprising kick as it explores both sides of the porn industry: the glamour and the sleaze. Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers Epstein and Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk) keep...
Movie Review posted on 15th August 2013
Kick-Ass 2
New writer-director Wadlow (Never Back Down) makes one severe misstep with this sequel to Matthew Vaughn's snappy 2010 Kick-Ass: he loses the irony. Now everything is played for goofy laughs and indulgent grisliness. There's no...
Movie Review posted on 15th August 2013
A Week In Movies: Ford Joins The Expendables, Thor Strikes Back, And Get Ready For The Biopics
The big news this week was that Harrison Ford will join the Expendables for their third film adventure. Sylvester Stallone tweeted the announcement, then went on to mention that Bruce Willis won't be around this...
News posted in Movies / TV / Theatre on 9th August 2013
Grown Ups 2
There was nothing remotely notable about 2010's Grown Ups, and now we have a sequel that's even lazier. Without any actual plot to speak of, the movie merely strings together a series of unfunny scenes...
Movie Review posted on 8th August 2013
Suggested
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
Three nights before the end of his current tour Will Varley returned to his home town of Deal to delight a sold out crowd in The Astor Theatre.
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...
Advertisement
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...
Keelan X talks to us about staying true to "your creative vision", collaborating with Giorgio Moroder and being "a yoga nut" [EXCLUSIVE]
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...
Advertisement
