The Banshees of Inisherin (****) is filled with rich performances
McDonagh shows an incredible grip on the allegory he portrays through Ireland of the past. He also knows how to get the most out of his extremely talented cast.
From Braveheart to the Outlaw King
Outlaw King will not be considered an equal bookend to Braveheart’s first part of the story of the Scottish Rebellion, but it should not be considered a failure by Mackenzie. The history presented is debatable, but it’s close enough to warrant some nice scenes and a series of muddy battles.
Assassin’s Creed (*1/2) Now really, what did you expect?
Apparently, there is enough riding behind this one to push through at least one sequel. The director is actually interested to explore the cold war. If they let him come back, at least it won’t force some other director to take a dive for material that can only take you so far before it pulls you down into the pit of hitting the marks.
It’s the same kind of fate Michael Bay has been saving directors from since Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
In The Heart of the Sea (*1/2) is doldrums
It’d be nice if he could find some way to get himself back into storytelling mode. Something similar to what Reiner has found with low budget gems like Flipped or anything that Jeff Nichols has done. It seems like he thinks he’s reached a status of auteur. These things happen when you make hack commercials for political figures or when you win Oscars for calculated half-truths.
Edge Of Tomorrow (***1/2): Try, try again…
Edge of Tomorrow – 2014 Director Doug Liman Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor Screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth based on All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka First […]
The Raven: Is this John Cusack?
The Raven – 2012 Director James McTeigue Starring John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kevin McNally, Sam Hazeldine, Pam Ferris, John Warnaby Screenplay Ben Livingston, Hannah Shakespeare There is […]
Safe House: Bullets, Crunching Metal and Quick Cuts
Safe House – 2012 Directed by Daniel Espinosa Starring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Brendan Gleeson, Vera Farmiga, Sam Shepard, Rubén Blades, Robert Patrick, Liam Cunningham Screenplay by David Guggenheim “I need to find […]
The Guard shows real chemistry between Gleeson and Cheadle, kind of like Gibson and Glover
The Guard – 2011 Written and Directed by John Michael McDonagh Starring Brendan Gleason, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, Fionnula Flanagan, David Wilmot, Michael Og Lane, Dominique McElligott, Rory Keenan Early on in […]
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 