Ninja Assassin opens with its most successful sequence. In a non-descript hideout in Japan, a group of Yakuza gangsters laugh aloud in the manner of mad scientists as an old-timer warns them to be careful, of what – he cannot bring himself to utter the word out loud – ninjas. Suddenly, the men are attacked [...]

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Everyone loves an underdog story. From The Bad News Bears to perhaps a more suitable comparison, Braveheart, people love seeing the little guy pull through against all odds. At its heart Red Cliff is an underdog story set in the war theatre of ancient China, and it delivers all the fist-pumping you would hope for [...]

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There are many breathtaking, enduring images in The Road. I suppose that’s largely what the film is, a succession of breathtaking images. Director John Hillcoat has created an utterly convincing presentation of what the world would look like after a major, earth-crippling disaster – the trees are burnt black, the buildings vacant and ominous and [...]

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How strange it must have been to be tasked with adapting Wes Anderson’s eccentric and idiosyncratic live-action style to animation. The brave soul who had just that job was Mark Gustafson and, during a Q+A session following the screening I attended of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, the Animation Director recalled Anderson’s unyielding dedication to his vision [...]

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Another week, another ‘found footage’ horror film. The Fourth Kind claims only half of its run-time is found footage, the rest is introduced by actress Mila Jovovich as elaborate dramatizations of real events that occurred in Nome, Alaska. I am always a bit wary when a film’s tagline is “Based on a true story”, but [...]

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