Because Everybody Else Has One

Paying writing work kind of got in the way of regular updates for all movies this past month so here are very, very quick reviews of all the films I have not yet covered that were released in SA cinemas this month. Despicable Me 2: Not despicable at all actually. The plot ain't great and it lags in the middle but it's genuinely cute without being overly cutesy and, thanks to an increase in Minion activity, is much, much funnier than the first film. (7/10) Killer Joe:  Now this one kind of is despicable. It has a grotesque final scene whose sexual politics I am really not happy about so I can't exactly give this a hearty recommendation but it's still brilliantly if bleakly written, sharply directed by the legendary William Friedkin and has a bunch of great performances, most especially by a stellar Matthew McConaughy in the title role. It's great but it's awful. Check it out at your own peril. (?/10) The Big Wedding: A so-so family dramedy with a terrific...

Well, I Don't know if it's THE Wolverine but it's certainly a Wolverine. Also up at Channel 24 What it's about After the events of X-Men: The Last Stand, Wolverine's life of solitude and privacy is interrupted by an old acquaintance summoning him to his death bed in Japan. When he gets there, however, Wolverine finds more than he bargained for as the old man is now one of the most powerful and richest men in Japan and, in exchange for protecting his beloved granddaughter from Yukuza thugs, he offers Wolverine something he could only previously have dreamed of: an end to his tortured existence. What we thought Considering how weak Wolverine's last two proper cinematic adventures were – X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine – it was never going to take much effort to make his latest look good by comparison. And make no mistake, The Wolverine is a far better film than either of those clunkers. It's just a pity that it could have ...

Taking product placement to all new levels... Also up at Channel 24 What it's about Two middle-ages former salesmen, who after having their careers destroyed by obsolescence and a terrible economy, apply for an internship at Google and despite knowing next to nothing, compete head to head with dozens of gifted, tech-savy teenagers and twenty-somethings for the final reward of a job at the illustrious company. What we thought Does Google really need to advertise this badly? It's funny, despite being one of director Shawn Levy's more enjoyable efforts (not that that's saying much as the only truly worthwhile film he has ever made was the admittedly pretty great Real Steel), The Internship never gets past that central question. The movie's PR people are adamant that it's not just a glorified advert for Google but, whatever else you might say about it, The Internship's primary goal is clearly to tell us over and over and over agai...

Here's something for those who simply can't wait for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie... Also up at Channel 24 . What its about Native American legend, Tonto, tells a young boy the story of how straight-laced district attorney became his partner, the outlaw known as the Lone Ranger. What we thought Enough has probably been said about how The Lone Ranger is effectively “Pirates of the Caribbean on Horseback” but that doesn't make the analogy any less accurate. The Lone Ranger does, after all, share the same star, producer and director as the first three Pirates films and it replicates both the distinctively knockabout action scenes of those films, as well as most of their many, many flaws. The Lone Ranger is, of course, an enduring part of American pop culture that started off as a radio serial in 1933 and has since appeared in movies, movie serials, books, comic books, comic strips, cartoons and TV shows. While this new film might clearly b...

Just a quick one to close out the week. It's kind of strange that after having written nearly three thousand words on Man of Steel, a film that I didn't even like, I have so little to say on the genuinely wonderful Song for Marion. It is one of those films though, that really speaks for itself and doesn't need me waffling on for a half dozen pages about how great it is. The story focuses on Arthur (Terence Stamp), an old curmudgeon, who tries to find meaning in his life after his beloved wife (Vanessa Redgrave) finally succumbs to cancer by taking her place in the singing class where she spent so many of her final days. Despite his wife's obvious love for the singing group, while she was alive, Arthur had little patience for what he saw as a collection of old fogies embarrassingly desperate to hang onto their youth but with his wife gone, his days empty and his relationship with his estranged son, James (Christopher Eccleston) more fraught than ever, he is con...

I barely even know where to begin with this... The Background: Why Superman is Super I am a Superman fanboy. There really is no getting past it. I consider Superman to be not only one of the greatest fictional characters ever created and the Alpha and Omega of superheroes, but one of the few modern day creations that can truly be called "mythical". In terms of pure preference, The Flash may be my favourite superhero - thanks in large part to Mark Waid's (more on him in a bit) take on the character when I first started reading comics on a regular basis - but Superman represents everything that's powerful and beautiful and enduring about superheroes and, as such, has held a special place in my heart for pretty much my entire life. I know this sounds hyperbolic, especially as there are so many "cooler" superheroes around but - and here's where the mythological part comes in - Superman is as much about what he represents as who he is. Going back t...