The Wild Bunch’s display of violence and gambles taken in a dying outlaw world influenced a lot of the same themes in Martin Scorsese’s Casino. In this introduction for the director’s urban western I look at the similarities between the two, as one exchanges banks and saloons for casinos and restaurants, and just what drewContinue reading “Casino – Introduction”
Author Archives: Jamie Skinner
The Summer Book – Review
Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 35 minutes, Director – Charlie McDowell Young Sophia (Emily Matthews) spends the summer on a small Finnish island with her father (Anders Danielsen Lie) and grandmother (Glenn Close), each quietly dealing with the loss of Sophia’s mother. The last time we saw Glenn Close in grandmother-mode was inContinue reading “The Summer Book – Review”
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender – Review
Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 35 minutes, Directors – Lauren Montgomery, Steve Ahn, William Mata A now grown up Aang (Eric Nam) reteams with old friends in order to locate a powerful magical staff that, if fallen into the wrong hands, could lead to disaster and his kind being wiped out. One ofContinue reading “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender – Review”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Review
Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 25 minutes, Director – Destin Daniel Cretton Having been forgotten by the world, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) lives his days alone, wishing to reconnect with old friends, until an anonymous body-hopper and strengthening spider-sense cause chaos in New York. Alongside great power and great responsibility, Spider-Man is oftenContinue reading “Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Review”
The Odyssey – Review
Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 53 minutes, Director – Christopher Nolan With the Trojan War complete, Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his troops head home to Ithaca, an unexpectedly ten-year journey beset by the gods with monsters and disasters. Borrowing from his Oppenheimer flashback-style of time meddling, Christopher Nolan follows a weary Odysseus (MattContinue reading “The Odyssey – Review”
Moana (2026) – Review
Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Director – Thomas Kail Teenage Moana (Catherine Laga’aia) ventures across the ocean to find demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to help her restore a stone heart that will bring life back to surrounding islands. While I continue to say that Disney’s live-action remakes are becoming too similarContinue reading “Moana (2026) – Review”
The Wolf Of Wall Street – Introduction
Martin Scorsese initially turned down The Wolf Of Wall Street because of its similarities to Goodfellas. The way to avoid those issues? Make a film of excess. That excess, inspired by Caligula, gave the film a shock value for many when first released, perhaps because of it’s matter-of-fact, unjudgmental style. All part of Scorsese’s lookContinue reading “The Wolf Of Wall Street – Introduction”
Evil Dead Burn – Review
Cert – 18, Run-time – 1 hour 49 minutes, Director – Sébastien Vaniček After the funeral of her abusive husband (George Pullar) Alice (Souheila Yacoub) is invited to his family home, where Deadites in search of an ancient dagger are circling. 2023’s Evil Dead Rise may have struck the same horror-focused vein as Fede Álvarez’sContinue reading “Evil Dead Burn – Review”
Nirvanna: The Band – The Show – The Movie – Review
Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 40 minutes, Director – Matt Johnson Best friends Matt (Matt Johnson) and Jay (Jay McCarrol) have been trying for almost two decades to play a gig at the Rivoli, after a failed skydiving stunt, time travel back to 2008 is the new way to go. It takes unbelievableContinue reading “Nirvanna: The Band – The Show – The Movie – Review”
The Invite – Review
Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 47 minutes, Director – Olivia Wilde Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela’s (Olivia Wilde) marriage has long been full of arguments, when their upstairs neighbours (Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton) come for a dinner party revelations and confrontations make for an awkward and heated night. The Invite makes me believeContinue reading “The Invite – Review”
