Tag Archives: Ewan McGregor

Clueless, Emma (1996), and Aisha reviews — Jane Austen on the big screen

March 6, 2020 flawintheiris

With Emma, the Jane Austen novel adapted for a feature film opening today, it seemed like the right time to go back to previous movie versions. For a deeper dive, there are a host of takes on TV, including a well-regarded 2009 BBC edition and a TV movie starring a very young Kate Beckinsale. Here… Read More

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn review — Great action can’t save it

February 6, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Cathy Yan | Written by Christina Hodson | 109 min | Crave Plus For those who might not remember, DC comics and Batman antagonist Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie, who can't not be a delight) was introduced on the big screen in a movie called Suicide Squad, which was an unaccountable global hit despite… Read More

T2: Trainspotting review — Choose Life, Choose Middle Age

April 4, 2017 flawintheiris

Directed by Danny Boyle | Written by John Hodge, adapting the novel Porno by Irvine Welsh | 117 min The late-coming sequel is a dicey proposition, but if you're gonna do it, it's nice to see the old gang get together—many of the original creative team in front and behind the camera from the 1996 film… Read More

Our Kind of Traitor review — Ordinary spycraft

July 30, 2016 flawintheiris

Directed by Susanna White | Written by Hossein Amini, based on the John Le Carré novel | 108 min | ▲▲△△△ Poetry professor Perry (Ewan McGregor) and barrister Gail (Naomie Harris) are a couple in trouble. They head to North Africa to see if a romantic getaway might help their marital strife. There they meet Dima… Read More

Reviews: Jane Got A Gun, By The Sea, Rock The Kasbah, Man Up, 5 To 7

June 22, 2016 flawintheiris

Jane Got A Gun Directed by Gavin O'Connor | Written by Brian Duffield, Anthony Tambakis, and Joel Egerton 98 min | ▲▲▲△△ | On DVD, Blu-Ray, and VOD A moody if somewhat standard-issue western from O'Connor, the helmer of the excellent MMA drama Warrior and executive producer on one of the best shows on TV, The Americans. Jane Hammond (Natalie Portman)… Read More

Reviews: Assassin, Copenhagen, Night Train To Lisbon, Son Of A Gun, and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her

July 9, 2015 flawintheiris

And now for some recent releases on VOD, iTunes, Netflix, Blu-Ray and the like. Assassin A London hitman named Jamie (Danny Dyer) works for a pair of shady gangster brothers (Martin and Gary Kemp, Spandau Ballet founders who were terrific as another pair of gangster brothers years back in The Krays). On his off hours… Read More

Egregious Examples of Movie Marketing: Brassed Off!

September 22, 2014 flawintheiris

I just had to share this: After having enjoyed the gay-activists-raise-funds-for-Welsh-miners-comedy Pride—probably the best thing I saw at the 2014 Atlantic Film Festival—I decided to revisit Brassed Off!, the 1996 comedy-drama about a group of miners in Grimley, near Worcester, Northern England, whose pit is threatened with closure. Will the miners' union fight to keep it open or… Read More

August: Osage County review

January 17, 2014 flawintheiris

Directed by John WellsStageplay and screenplay adaptation by Tracy LettsSince Julia Roberts had kids, she's been much more choosy with the films she does, working much less frequently. This is the opportunity afforded a former Queen of Hollywood, and more power to her. I've noticed that when she does work, the quality of her performances… Read More

The Great Gatsby review

May 16, 2013 flawintheiris

Directed by Baz LuhrmannWritten by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, adapting the F. Scott Fitzgerald novelThe one thing I liked about Moulin Rouge, Luhrmann's last hit feature more than 10 years ago, was how he created this grand period spectacle laced with contemporary music. It was fun identifying the songs being performed by Nicole Kidman and… Read More

2013 Academy Award Nominations: Random Questions and Observations

January 12, 2013 flawintheiris

They came out yesterday morning, a Thursday (weirdly), and this is the first chance I've had to get my thoughts down on the nominees.This year there are few outright appalling choices, but also few that made me cheer.BEST PICTUREAmour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings… Read More