Sin City: A Dame To Kill For review

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, adapting Frank Miller's series of graphic novels I wonder if there's a best before date for sequels. Perhaps if more than five years passes since the original's release, any plans for a sequel should be scrapped. Can anyone tell me about a sequel that showed up more than five…Read More

Locke review

Written and directed by Steven Knight I make a big deal about it when a quality film doesn't get distribution in cinemas here in Halifax, but I also understand the reticence of distributors—some feature films just don't have that crowd-pleasing vibe. And I get that the people making decisions might consider Locke and wonder whether anyone…Read More

Watching Robin Williams

I figured I'd wait a few days before offering any kind of tribute to Robin Williams. Give the news a chance sink in. It seems to me a universal tragedy; someone so talented, so adored, would feel so despondent as to end his life. Depression doesn't discriminate. Of the more moving remembrances to the Oscar-winning actor…Read More

In Cinemas. August 15, 2014

I have a real soft spot for Men On A Mission-style movies, and on paper I really like the idea of action legends Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Jet Li and their buddies getting together to shoot a lot of huge guns. Then why was The Expendables (2010) so dull? I suppose because you can't…Read More

Boyhood review

Written and directed by Richard Linklater In December of this year when people like me consider the stand-out feature films of the past 12 months, Boyhood will distinguish itself from the pack for one undeniable reason: it took 12 years to make. Starting back in the GW Bush era, Linklater gathered a small cast together…Read More

Magic in the Moonlight review

Written and directed by Woody Allen | Amazon Prime While there's a certain inevitability to a new Woody Allen movie—he's made one a year since the early 80s, and was pretty quick about putting them out in the years before that, too—going to see one of his pictures and reviewing it in 2014 nearly feels…Read More

The Zero Theorem review

Directed by Terry Gilliam, written by Pat Rushin I've always admired Terry Gilliam, even when I haven't loved his movies. His legend as a giant slayer—largely due to his masterpiece  Brazil having found an audience in his preferred version despite the studio meddling—still carries serious weight today, 30 years later. And the Monty Python alum's favourite themes—the…Read More

In Cinemas. August 8, 2014

So, the annual Woody Allen movie has opened in cinemas—Magic in the Moonlight at the Oxford, starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone. I wonder whether anyone will go to see it, given the scandal that dogged him back at the beginning of the year. If you're wondering whether I will and whether I'll review it, you can check…Read More