Freelance entertainment writer
On my last trip I visited a place in New Zealand wherein the Parker-Hulme murder had taken place. For this jaunt, I wanted to visit the bar where Aileen Wuornos, the serial killer immortalised in the biopic Oscar-winner Monster and two Nick Broomfield documentaries, spent her last free night prior to her arrest.
Director: Gareth Edwards Writer: Max Borenstein, Dave Callaham Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche Running Time: 123 Minutes Year: 2014
Gareth Edwards feature debut, Monsters, served as proof this man knows what to show, and what to leave to the nerdy recesses of your imagination. A modest flick it presented an intimate approach to monster invasion, the antithesis to Roland Emmerich’s bumbling brawl back in 1998. Choosing the Brit to helm the next big screen outing of Japan’s spikiest export, Godzilla, was no wild stab in the dark.
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford Running Time: 136 Minutes Year: 2014
The Quite Nice Avenger, Captain America (Chris Evans), returns for his sophomore solo feature-length effort further unraveling the vast, vast landscape which is Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. If this were a high-budget comic actioner opening a new franchise, reviewing the flick would be a different proposition. As it stands, Captain America: The Winter Soldier serves as a lynchpin tying itself to the earlier Cap standalone flick and The Avengers. And all the other Avengers standalone movies. Which is where the limitations of any of Marvel’s features come to the fore; can they ensnare new fans, satisfy existing movie fans and do a good enough job of tackling the massive comic book canon?
Director: Gore Verbinski Writer: Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson Running Time: 149 Minutes Year: 2013
Gore Verbinski’s passion for Westerns is no secret. Following on from his animated kids flick with a heart, Rango, The Lone Ranger prowls deeper into the myths and legends of its titular character. It sets its sights on bringing the sheer awe of the plains and mountains of Texas into the fore as much as any of its leading characters. This first and foremost sets the tone and hints at a style previously witnessed in Pirates Of The Caribbean. This isn’t a small time flick about an outlaw. It’s a grandiose beast held together by a minimum of at least half a dozen exciting action sequences.
Here are my recommendations for the best films on Freeview August 5th through to August 11th.
Director: Fede Alvarez Writer: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci Running Time: 91 Minutes Year: 2013
Oh, The Evil Dead. Mistress of my youth. Deciding to watch a remake of a much beloved film is a tough choice, as do you really want to spend an entire running time marking out the differences between the two? No, not especially. Taking a trip down to that cabin in the woods filled me with equal amounts dread and excitement. Dread because the older I get, the more films affect me. Excitement because this reboot has arrived with praise.
Here are my recommendations for the best films on Freeview July 29th through to August 4th.
Director: Paul Feig Writer: Katie Dippold Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy Running Time: 117 Minutes Year: 2013
Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids was not a fluke, folks. The Heat is here as bona fide evidence. We should all feel very lucky indeed, as it features two of cinema’s finest funnygals charging towards each other, drunk, wearing dumpster-ready outfits with mouthfuls of comedy gold.
Director: Jonathan Levine Writer: Jonathan Levine Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich Running Time: 98 Minutes Year: 2013
Let’s get this little tidbit out of the way. The novel on which Warm Bodies is based, by Seattle author Isaac Marion is very very good. By that I mean, it opens the zombie genre up, tinkers around with the starter motor and then goes full throttle. It’s one of the better offerings to horror’s latest love affair.
