Projected Film

Runtime: 118mins | Director: Roar Uthaug | Rating: 1.5 Stars I walked into Tomb Raider filled with dread - there’s no two ways about it. Having watched the trailer it seemed as if it would simply be another terrible video-game adaptation with lots of action and little substance. Admittedly, that isn’t necessarily bad though. After all, sometimes it’s nice to switch off, watch a film and not have to pay attention the whole way through. To add to my fears though, I strongly believe(d) this reboot to be totally unnecessary. For me, whilst no-where near perfect, the 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider served us everything that could be expected from a Lara Croft film – action, adventure and sex appeal. So, I imagine you’re wondering whether my dread turned into something more positive by the time the credits rolled? It did not. It confirmed every one of my suspicions. Before I begin my criticism of Tomb Raider though I feel it’s important to state I had no prob...

Runtime: 94mins | Director: Tomm Moore | Rating: 5 Stars When I first started writing this blog I’d intended to have a relatively even weighting of both new releases and past film reviews. Admittedly, I’ve slacked in the older film department so this week’s review is an attempt to remedy that – Song of the Sea , directed by Tomm Moore. So, why this film? Well, not only did a close friend recommend it to me, but it was also up for an Oscar nomination in 2015 for Best Animated Film. More importantly though, given that it is heavily centred around Ireland, it seemed an appropriate time to review it given the day I’m writing this is St. Patrick’s Day! Song of the Sea tells the story of two children who live with their father, Conor (Brendan Gleeson), in a lighthouse in Ireland. Sadly, their mother died during childbirth, and as a result, Ben (David Rawle), blames his sister, Saoirse (Lucy O’ Connell), for her death. One day, their grandmother comes to visit the ch...

Runtime: 120mins | Director: Craig Gillespie | Rating: 4.5 Stars I must admit, before going to see I, Tonya I wasn’t that excited about it. It was a film that I had wanted to see but wasn’t at the top of my list and so I left it quite late. After seeing it, I regret not going sooner – it was fantastic, and in my opinion, a very underrated film of 2017/18 that deserved more attention. I, Tonya tells the story of the infamous (for nearly all the wrong reasons) ice skater, Tonya Harding who becomes embroiled in one of the biggest sporting scandals the world has seen to date. Based around faux interviews of the characters discussing their various interpretations surrounding the events that occurred, the film opens with LaVona Fay Golden (Allison Janney), a young Tonya’s (McKenna Grace) mother convincing coach, Diane Rawlinson (Julianne Nicholson) to take her on. From the outset, it’s clear the abusive and dysfunctional relationship Tonya and her mother will have when ...

This Sunday marks the annual celebration of all things cinematic – the iconic Academy Awards, better known to most as The Oscars. Due to it being, arguably, the biggest event in the film industry each year, I thought it would be appropriate to do an entry on the awards, nominations, who I would like to win and who I think will actually win. To my shame, I haven’t managed to see all the films who have nominations, so for those where I haven’t seen all the nominations I will say so and state the general consensus for who will win. So, without further ado – let’s get into it! Best Picture           Call Me By Your Name           Darkest Hour           Dunkirk           Get Out           Lady Bird           Phantom Thread           The Post           The Shape ...